Degradation of ecological services including deforestation, wetland loss, loss of topsoil and plant cover, loss of riparian habitat and natural drainage patterns, and stream and land erosion can have either a direct or indirect effect on both the quality and quantity of water resources. There exists a diverse literature on the contribution of a healthy, functioning ecosystem to a sustainable hydrological cycle, adequate aquifer recharge, water purification, biodegradation of human and animal toxins and prevention of storm surges and flooding. However a search yielded no publications relating to the use of ecosystem services as a primary public health prevention strategy to prepare for acute or chronic water management emergencies. Water scarcity or the contamination of water both intentionally or unintentionally can cause immediate and/or intermediate and/or long-term social and political upheaval and should be of great interest to NATO in its quest for peace.

This manuscript characterizes the interplay between water and land management issues leading to problems of water quality, quantity, stormwater surges and flooding that are a direct threat to public health. A framework to understand the complex chain of causation leading to tertiary public health outcomes is presented. The importance of protection and restoration of ecological services, as a primary public health prevention strategy to break the chain of causation will be described. Finally, an all hazards approach to water management will be incorporated and stressed throughout the narrative. It is argued that the extent to which tertiary water problems, such as flooding deaths and property damage or increased risk of human development of water related diseases, are expressed can be mediated by the vibrancy of ecosystem function.