Methodological proposal for the application of Hilbert spaces to integrated watershed management

The current watershed management concept is ambivalent. On the one hand, it was generated as a proposal for a systemic vision of a territory, the watershed, and it addresses complex development issues in that territory. On the other hand, the most widespread application of the concept has been reductionist in nature, since it focuses on one or some aspects of the watershed components and their relationships. Recently, the adjective integrated was added to the term watershed management, which reflects the concern to apply a holistic and systemic vision in the interventions of the physical, biological, social and economic subsystems of the watershed. However, the use of the adjective has been more conceptual than pragmatic, and there has been a lack of discussion about its implications and the challenges associated with its operationalization. This paper proposes the application of Hilbert spaces as a methodological alternative to support the planning and monitoring of watershed management intervention proposals. Hilbert spaces, which have been used in other disciplines, are considered to be an option to support the analysis and management of the watershed as a complex system.