The forest where you take a lot of your photos is beautiful....
The thing is around here, I think you are in a similar part of the world to me, is that it is possible to do epic landscape design to store water, it just takes a lot of digging! Short term carnage for long term gain.
But yes, water is essential and it is VERY dry around here ATM!
And permits... Not easily given here. But yes water is the new gold.
Where I live it looks a lot like France and it is greener, colder and damper than the rest of the country, still last June we had a heatwave that set many forests ablaze, we had such strange skies (used in last lost video) but made me think that living way into the woods in this global warming times also pose risk.
Still one day if love to have my small piece of land and a cabin to create and just live quietly