Watershed Sustainability Index: Concept, Applications, and Future Directions

Abstract

Sustainable water resource systems are essential for meeting society's present and future needs while preserving ecological integrity. Ensuring sustainable management of a basin involves taking into account its hydrological characteristics, along with its environmental, social, and political aspects. Watershed Sustainability Index (WSI) is employed that integrates hydrology, environmental factors, biodiversity, and policy considerations. Its holistic and multidimensional approach provides insights into the complex interactions shaping watershed dynamics and supports evidence-based decision-making processes. Despite its utility, the Watershed Sustainability Index faces several challenges and limitations, including issues with data availability and quality, indicator selection and weighting, and the incorporation of diverse stakeholder perspectives. Addressing these challenges necessitates continued collaboration among researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to refine the Watershed Sustainability Index methodology and enhance its relevance and robustness. Future research should focus on refining indicator frameworks, developing spatially explicit modeling approaches, and integrating emerging technologies like remote sensing and machine learning. Efforts to enhance scalability and transferability across different scales and contexts are crucial for supporting more effective watershed management strategies. This study provides a concise overview of the Watershed Sustainability Index by considering its conceptual framework, main applications and future perspectives.