Ecological restoration and water‐related ecosystem services, one step ahead: a reply to Dib et al. (2023)

Water‐related ecosystem services are the most expected benefits from ecological restoration worldwide, because they directly improve the quality of life of human populations around and downstream the restored areas. However, the poor comprehension of how the vegetation drives the hydrological processes has resulted in some major ecological disasters. Dib et al. (2023) tried to “shed light on the complex relationship between forest restoration and water‐related ecosystem services.” However, while mentioning the decrease in water yield and highlighting the great benefits to water quality generally observed after forest restoration, they (1) overstated the contribution of planting forests to increase rainfall, and (2) omitted the substantial losses due to rain interception by the canopies when explaining the forest–water relationships. This reply aims to complement or rectify the arguments from Dib et al. (2023), clarifying some hydrological issues which are crucial for restoration planning and implementation.