Wetlands

Level 2 restoration what are the benefits of peatlands?

1. carbon stores - carbon removed from the atmosphere by the plants is stored in the peat and can remain there for millennia if the habitat remains wet. 2. water - regulate run-off to reduce downstream flooding and support high quality drinking water.

4 main controls of level 1 management

1. control of water - vital for water storage and water quality management. Provides data on changes in nutrient status linked to agricultural run-off. 2. control of vegetation - maintenance of invasive species. Spartina Anglica engulfs the estuaries and navigation channels. 3. control of animals - some wetlands needing support of maintained grazing such as cattle. 4. control of human activity - balance between human access versus conservation. Areas that support large numbers of tourism can damage the habitat.

why are wetlands important?

1. flood protection - the holding capacity of wetlands helps control floods and prevents water logging of crops. 2. water quality - wetlands function like filters by removing polluting nutrients and sediments from surface and groundwater.

Level 2 restoration Name 3 peatland restoration methods

1. re-wetting. 2. re-vegetation. 3. drainage blocking

what is Level 3 creation USA - mitigation banking?

1988 legislation to protect wetlands. No-net-loss plan. for every acre of wetland lost, a new acre is replaced.

Level 2 restoration for peatland example what is the reference for this?

Blawhorn Moss, Scotland. IUCN (2012). in 2001 over 400 heather bales were added to the ditches. now slowing down water movement and increasing the growth of new mosses.

Level 2 restoration for peatlands example

Blawhorn Moss, Scotland. mainly to treat the hydrology. continued erosion of the larger gullies. lowering of the water table through extensive ditch network.

Level 3 creation UK example

Castle Espie, NI. awarded heritage lottery fund in 2007 for the wetland restoration. increased species habitat for kingfisher banks, otter dens and wader scrapes. area is now tidal - water levels rise and fall through the lough. raises awareness to thousands of tourists with additions of sponsoring a swan and education days.

Level 2 restoration example what report has recently been published?

Florida Everglades, USA. 2016 South Florida Environmental Report. storm water treatment areas over a 21 year period. treated more that 16 million acre-foot of water. retained around 2,000 metric tons of total phosphorus.

Level 2 restoration example What plan has been put in place?

Florida Everglades, USA. Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan. approved in 2000. $10.5 billion project expected to take 30 years to complete. increase freshwater storage capacity and distribute to agricultural and environmental purposes. reducing damaging floodwater discharge in the coastal estuaries.

Level 2 restoration example

Florida Everglades, USA. around half of the wetland has been drained for agriculture and development. the water flows in the remaining areas are fragmented by canals, roads and drainage ditches.

Level 3 creation USA example

Louisiana, USA. lake hermitage marsh creation. soft engineering solutions such as barrier island renourishment. sediment hydraulically dredged from a borrow area in the Mississippi River. pumped via pipeline to create new marsh in the project area.

what is the Level 3 creation USA - mitigation banking reference?

Mitsch and Gosselink (2007). by 2002 there were 219 mitigation banks covering 50,000 hectares in 29 states in the US.

Level 1 management example

Murrough Wetlands, Co.Wicklow. 1. control of animals - low intensity approach to grazing. Heritage ponies of the kerry bog ponies control and encourage special Fen plants and grasses such as saw sedge. 2. control of water - reverse the drying out of the wetlands. Improving the hydrology of the Fen by raising water levels. Control of water flow through the creation of sluice gates.

3 levels of wetland management

level 1 - maintenance, control and enhancement. level 2 - restoration. level 3 - creation

wetland management

not all wetlands require management. Brackagh Moss, Co. Antrim - 15 years of minimal interference. Hudson Bay, Lowlands, Canada - natural climate change impacting species numbers.

What is Level 2 restoration?

process of assisting the recovery of an ecosystem that has been destroyed, degraded or damaged.

what is Level 3 creation and its benefits?

the construction of a wetland on a site that never was a wetland. benefits - flood control, water quality, ecotourism and raising awareness.

what are wetlands?

transitional between terrestrial and aquatic systems. water table is usually close to the surface or land covered by shallow water. soils dominated by anaerobic processes and biota that are adapted to tolerate flooding.