Abstract

There are more than 4 billion hectares of forests in the world, which corresponds to 31 % of the surface of our planet. In Chile, 17 million ha of forests cover the country where more than 3 million correspond to plantations. The role of vegetation cover in the dynamics of precipitation, in the generation of runoff and in the protection and conservation of degraded land is known. This cover plays an important role in the hydrological cycle and its balance, especially in the north central zone to the south. A new impulse is required in research, both from the Government and the private sector, as well as reformation to public policies, thus articulating research in forest hydrology with an imperative sense of integrality. Therefore, this document presents a proposal for the development of research in forest hydrology with an integral and decentralization approach. Highly capable scientific human capital in Chile, organized in geographically defined nuclei, would be capable of answering relevant research questions in forest hydrology that would support public policies based on scientific evidence. All this, under the auspices of a technical integrating entity to allow a fluid conversation and discussion of the actors of the forestry sector, both in research matters and in the generation of public policies from an integral and multidisciplinary perspective at the catchment level.