In the Anthropocene Era, when we live in, almost 70% of the Earth’s surface has been highly modified by humans, what eventually led to emerging of “novel ecosystems”. Now, when humanity approaches the limits of global carrying capacity, and the parallel degradation of global environment and population growth aggravated by climate change, may end up with yet another “tragedy of the commons”, the paradigm shift towards more sustainable management of water and other natural resources seems to be the future of life.

Water has always been the key driver of biogeochemical evolution of biosphere. In the escalating global climate changes it is, and will continue to be, the limiting factor to achieve sustainable development in many areas of the World. Current activities seems to neglect the fact that our existence on Earth inevitably depend on our ability to profoundly understand, maintain and re-establish fundamental long-term climatic, hydrological and ecological processes across scales. Prioritizing short-term management, we risk increase of uncertainty of both ecological and social systems.

In 1997 UNESCO adopted ecohydrology as a foundation of new scientific approach and paradigm in integrated water management for sustainability. As a paradigm, ecohydrology has shifted attention from environmental protection and controlling environmental hazards towards identification of the hierarchy of regulatory processes, with special emphasis on interplay between water and biota, in different types of ecosystems, and using them for achieving sustainability. As environmental science, ecohydrology has recognized and embraced role of engineering and technology in increasing efficiency of resource use, prolongation of living cycle of products and lowering emissions. In the current phase it proposes to involve long-term socio-ecological research in defining the areas of possible augmentation of natural capital, compromising over life style and sustainability, and better engagement of engineering in maintenance of ecological functions towards more sustainable development.

Both technology and system solutions have now progressed enough to develop a dialogue on integration of the efforts between engineers and ecohydrologists, to contribute to ecologically sound solutions towards harmony between the biogeosphere and humanity for sustainable development.