Hectares Of Wetlands Research Articles

Species Diversity and Composition of Macrophytes in Shallabugh Wetland, Ganderbal, Jammu, and Kashmir, India

Macrophyte diversity, richness, and composition of the Shallabugh wetland Reserve, one of the Important Bird and Biodiversity Area in India. The wetland shows the presence of 39 plant species of 27 families and three tree species belonging to three families and a diversity index of H = 3.12 and Evenness e^H/S = 0.5836. The high Importance Value Index (IVI=22.8) was recorded for Typha latifolia, followed by Ceratophyllum demersum (IVI=19.2). The shift in macrophyte community structure is evidenced by the local extinction of Nelumbo nucifera from the Shallabugh wetland area and the near-disappearance of some economically important plants such as Trapa natans (IVI= 0.24). The investigation of various aspects of the wetland ecology of Shallabugh reveals that species composition has witnessed great changes over the years. The conversion of the 141 hectares of wetland into grassland gave way for terrestrial species to flourish. The study serves as the baseline study of the macrophyte community composition and structure of the Shallabugh wetland.

Potential Analysis Of Peatland Fire In Ogan Komering Ilir District

Based on data from CIFOR (Center for International Forestry Research), there are 3 million hectares of wetlands in South Sumatra, with an area of 1.73 million hectares of peatland. Around 796,000 hectares of peatland are located in the district of Ogan Komering Ilir. Almost every year peatland fires occur in this area. Therefore, it is necessary to mitigate the disaster of peatland fires by analyzing the potential level of vulnerability to peatland fires in Ogan Komering Ilir Regency. There are five sub-districts that are sampled in this study, namely Kayuagung, Tulung Selapan, Pedamaran Timur, Pangkalan Lampan, and Pedamaran District. The parameters reviewed were based on the type of land cover, the maturity level of the peatlands, and the water level of the peat soil. In addition, the potential for peatland fires is seen from the intensity of rainfall. Because the potential for peatland fires is higher if they occur during the dry season where rainfall intensity is low or during dry months. The results showed the potential for peatland fires based on the characteristics of peatlands in Ogan Komering Ilir Regency has a moderate to high level. While the analysis is based on the intensity of rainfall, the potential for peatland fires from July to November which is a dry month with rainfall intensity < 100mm. .

Wetland Loss in Coastal Louisiana Drives Significant Resident Population Declines

Despite increased hurricane intensity, the U.S. Gulf of Mexico coast has experienced dramatic coastal population increase of 24.5% from 2000 to 2016. However, in areas of coastal Louisiana with dramatic wetland loss, parishes have experienced population declines and lower rates of population growth. Therefore, understanding the magnitude of the effect of wetland loss as a main driver of population loss in coastal Louisiana is critical. Using regression analysis, this study finds that wetland loss has a significant and persistent negative effect on population growth in coastal Louisiana. This effect resulted in a reduction in the population growth rate in coastal parishes over time. A counterfactual simulation was conducted to estimate the potential population size in the absence of wetland loss from 1990 to 2021. On average, the effect of 1 hectare of wetland lost causes a reduction of approximately 1000 persons. This indicates that for the year 2021, the population was approximately 18% lower than the population that would have existed in the absence of wetland loss. This research underscores the role of wetlands in providing direct and indirect benefits to people in coastal Louisiana that are ultimately reflected in its population levels.

The use of remote sensing data sources and GIS in fire protection planning in biebrza national Park, with special attention to non-forest ecosystems

ABSTRACT In the spring of 2020, a large-scale fire destroyed 5,526 hectares of wetlands in Biebrza National Park. It was decided to modernize the park’s fire protection system. It proved necessary to develop rules for fire protection in large natural areas where non-forest communities predominate. A team of experts from the Forest Research Institute, the Fire Department, and the Biebrza National Park developed methods for fire protection in the park based on open, publicly available remote sensing data sources. The following methods were developed or modified and adapted to the conditions of the park: determination of fire danger, prediction of fire danger, modeling of fire development, determination of the network of fire access roads, determination of water supply points, including water withdrawal points for helicopters, detection of fires, functioning of the alarm and communication system, firebreaks, places of concentration of forces and resources, equipment for fire fighting, and taking preventive measures. The developed principles of fire protection in the Biebrza National Park, based on open remote sensing data and the technology of GIS, will enable the creation and operation of a system that will reduce the probability of fires in the future.

Evaluation of novel triclopyr formulations for control of Old World climbing fern (Lygodium microphyllum)

AbstractOld World climbing fern [Lygodium microphyllum (Cav.) R. Br] is a smothering vine that has invaded thousands of hectares of wetlands in southern and central Florida, including the Everglades. For more than two decades, the standard management approach in natural areas has been to cut the vines at waist height, leaving climbing rachis to desiccate in the tree canopy (poodle cutting) and subsequently treat all rooted ground cover with a foliar application of a 3% v/v solution of glyphosate. While this is generally effective, there is increasing interest in providing additional control options and more selective treatments. Along with glyphosate, triclopyr is widely used in invasive plant management and may also provide increased selectivity when treating the ground cover. However, it has not been well tested on L. microphyllum, especially the more recently developed acid and choline formulations. In a series of field trials, we compared the acid, amine, and choline formulations of triclopyr against glyphosate as a positive reference and nontreated plots as a negative reference based on control of L. microphyllum at three wetland sites in southern Florida over the period of 2016 to 2020. Significant reductions in L. microphyllum cover were measured at 1 mo after treatment (MAT) and continued to the termination of the studies at 12 and 28 MAT. We found all three triclopyr formulations applied with a single-nozzle backpack sprayer at 5.4 g ae L−1 provided comparable activity to glyphosate applied at 14.4 g ae L−1. There were few differences in L. microphyllum efficacy among the three triclopyr formulations at each site. These results indicate that triclopyr is a suitable alternative to glyphosate for L. microphyllum control in wetland ecosystems. Future research should evaluate triclopyr efficacy on L. microphyllum in varied hydrologic conditions to better refine treatment prescriptions for wetlands.

Estimating the Effect of Tidal Marsh Restoration on Housing Prices: A Hedonic Analysis in the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge, Washington, USA

This study employs the hedonic pricing method and a rich spatial and temporal dataset from two counties in Washington, USA to determine the effect of the 2009 Nisqually Restoration project (NRP) on housing prices in adjacent communities. The NRP restored 308 hectares of wetlands via dike removal in the Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge (NNWR), leading to improvements in salmon and bird abundance and recreational opportunities. We find that the ecological improvements made by the NRP increased the value of homes within 0.5 mile of the refuge by $37,631; homes 0.5 to 1 mile by $10,489; and homes 1 to 1.5 miles by $31,186. Our findings are consistent with previous wetland hedonic price analyses and may be useful inputs in natural resource management and policy decision-making.

Wetlands in China: Evolution, Carbon Sequestrations and Services, Threats, and Preservation/Restoration

China has a wetland area of 53.42 million hectares, the fourth largest in the world; it includes all types of wetlands defined by the Ramsar Convention and has a carbon sink capacity of more than 1.71 million metric tons per year. Inland wetlands in China are mainly distributed in 10 major catchments, among which the Yellow River, the Yangtze River, the rivers in the northwest, and the rivers in the northeast each have more than 8 million hectares of wetlands. There are 4220 species of plants and 4015 species of animals in China’s wetland ecosystem. The wetland resources that have been developed and utilized include edible products, reeds for paper making, peat for fertilizer, fuel for power generation, and chemical, pharmaceutical, ceramic, and building materials. However, wetland areas in China have shrunk by about 54% since 1980. In recent years, China’s central government has set great store by Chinese wetlands, and although 49.03% of wetland area is now officially protected, many issues have confounded the implementation of that protection. It is imperative that knowledge gained from scientific research be used to formulate a sound wetland protection and management plan that takes into consideration social, economic, and ecological issues in a way that facilitates the sustainable use of wetland resources and informs decision-makers of the paths that must be followed to achieve that goal.

Wetlands, Flooding, and the Clean Water Act

In 2020 the Environmental Protection Agency narrowed the definition of “waters of the United States,” significantly limiting wetland protection under the Clean Water Act. Current policy debates center on the uncertainty around wetland benefits. We estimate the value of wet-lands for flood mitigation across the United States using detailed flood claims and land use data. We find the average hectare of wetland lost between 2001 and 2016 cost society $1,840 annually, and over $8,000 in developed areas. We document significant spatial heterogeneity in wetland benefits, with implications for flood insurance policy and the 50 percent of “isolated ” wetlands at risk of losing federal protection. (JEL K32, Q24, Q25, Q53, Q58)

The potential, wetlands utilization through the social forestry program in Kayan Sembakung Delta, North Kalimantan, Indonesia

Indonesia has approximately 39.6 million hectares of wetlands and almost 894,106 hectares in the Kayan Sembakung Delta, North Kalimantan Province. Despite in illegal status, the wetlands in the Kayan Sembakung Delta for decades have become a location where local people depend for their lives. Therefore, as part of resolving land conflicts, the implementation of Social Forestry (SF) can be offered to the community in the area. This study aims to identify problems in SF implementation in the Kayan Sembakung Delta and efforts to solve them. Data collection was obtained by interviewing the key informants, FGDs, and field observations together with the community member of 5 villages in North Kalimantan namely Liagu Village in Sekatak District - Bulungan Regency, Salimbatu Village in Tanjung Palas Tengah District - Bulungan Regency, Sengkong Village in Sesayap Hilir District - Tana Tidung Regency, Atap Village in Sembakung District - Nunukan Regency and Tepian Village in Sembakung District - Nunukan Regency. The study showed that the implementation of SF in the Kayan Sembakung Delta just in the early phase and facing numerous technical problems such as institutional, facilitating, management plan, funding, human resources, the potential for natural resource development, groups of social forestry business, and support from other parties. This study found that the main problem in implementing SF in the Kayan Sembakung Delta is the weak capacity of the human resources of SF management institution. This condition caused that the implementation of SF programs in this area must receive support from parties, especially in policy support and improving human resources.

Tourist Footprint and Sustainability in the Wetlands of Amazonia: A Quantification Test Based on the Area of the Regional Natural Park of French Guyana

Wetlands are some of the most important ecosystems on Earth. We notice that the hectares of wetlands are in the grip of a certain tourist presence by means of developments whose objective is to respond to a demand for discovery, for stays more and more growing. This presence that we can qualify as “tourist footprint” questions the sustainability. The ecosystem constituted is attractive. It activates the motivations in all kinds, because being often located in the interface between the water and land areas. The development of a territory can be achieved in a sustainable way only if a balance is found to reconcile human activity and preservation of resources. There is strong expectation in territories to enhance a territory’s heritage through the growth of economic activities. This article aims to conduct a quantification test of sustainability given the growing importance of tourism in wetland type sites. We look for a relevant indicator of quantification and evaluation to examine the tourism footprint and sustainability in the wetlands of French Amazonia.

The Influence of Economic Development on the Wetland Conversion in Java-Bali

While there have been evidences of successful economic development, certain Agriculture Industry show declining contributions to economy over recent years. There is a need for control of and policy on conversion of land status from agriculture to non-agriculture as a result of expanding economy. This research aims to analyse: (1) the impact of real GRDP, the number of households, the number of non-classified hotels and other types of accommodation businesses, and farmers’ terms of trade (FToT) on wetland conversion; (2) annual rate of wetland conversion; and (3) sustainability of food security after implementation of wetland conversion control. The data being analysed is pooled-data series 2014-2018 and cross sectional which is taken (provinces in Java-Bali). The result shows that the factors influencing wetland conversion negatively and significantly is real GRDP, the number of households and the number of non-classified hotels and other types of accommodation businesses are positively and significantly, whilst those affecting insignificantly is FToT. There is an upwards trend in wetland expansion, which indicates that agricultural land–instead of shrinking in area–is expanding at the rate of 40,574 hectares/year. It’s estimated that there will be 3,712,382 hectares of wetland by 2025. The tendency is followed by the growing number of rice surplus that reaches 909,922 tons/year. It’s projected that surplus in rice production by 2025 will be 17,404,632 tons. Consequently, management of renewable resources, prevention of wetland conversion, and prudent decision in rice import are as important as economic development. Keywords: wetland conversion, economic development, pooled-data

The value of coastal wetlands for storm protection in Australia

Cyclones cause significant damage, particularly to coastal areas. In the 50 years between 1967 and 2016, 54 cyclones struck Australia with total damages of approximately AUD 3 billion. Wetlands diminish cyclone impacts by absorbing storm surges and slowing winds. We examine the effects of wetlands on cyclone damage by creating a Bayesian regression model for storm damage as a function of wind speed, economic development in the storm swath, and the area of wetlands in the coastal plain in the storm swath using data from all 54 storms. Our results show that wind speed has a strong positive effect on cyclone damage and that wetland area has a strong negative effect. We estimate a total of AUD 29.6 billion of damage was averted during the 54 storms because of the presence of wetlands with a median of AUD 236 million per storm. This equates to an average of AUD 4203 per year per hectare of wetland, consistent with previous studies. Our results suggest that preserving wetlands is a cost-effective way to minimize cyclone damage while providing numerous other valuable ecosystem services. We estimate that maintaining at least 1.5% of coastal area as wetlands maximizes the averted damage.

Closing the loop - Recovery of nutrients and energy from wetland biomass

The aim of our research was to estimate the amount of energy, C, N and P that potentially could be extracted from the plant biomass harvested annually in the Narew National Park (NE Poland). We found that the conversion of biomass through anaerobic digestion (AD) delivers not only power and heat but also ensures the recovery of nutrients and organic matter for their reuse in agriculture. The most productive community with the highest biomass yield was reed bed of Phragmites australis (9.78 ± 1.66 t d.w. ha−1). It was followed by Phalaridetum and tall sedge communities with Carex elata and C. gracilis (6–7 t d.w. ha−1), rushes of Glyceria maxima (3.61 ± 0.63 t d.w. ha−1), and sedge moss communities with C. lasiocarpa (~1 t d.w. ha−1). Annual vegetation management would result in ~33·103 t d.w. of biomass. The primary net energy output was related to the productivity of the vegetation and ranged from ~17 GJ ha−1 for the sedge moss communities to 160 GJ ha−1 for Phragmitetum australis. The methane potential of the studied species was low and varied between 89 Nm3 t−1 d.w. for Phragmites and 188 NL kg−1 d.w. for Glyceria maxima. Consequently, the unit related net gain of energy in CH4 ranged between 23 and 30 GJ ha−1 for the perennial grasses and tall-sedge communities, and 3.5 GJ ha−1 for the low-productivity sedge-moss communities.As a result of low energy inputs for harvesting, the wetland biomass exhibited a favorable energy balance. The annual potential of CH4 for the whole studied valley section was 3286 ± 439·103 m3 resulting in net electricity potential of ~9.1 GWh and waste heat –32.3 TJ.An “average” hectare of wetland could power 1.2 household and provide 1010.4 ± 169.4 kg of C, 117.8 ± 19.6 kg of N, and 11.9 ± 2.0 of P applied do crop soils along with a digestate.

Landscape Interventions? The Draining of Wetlands and Other Modernization Initiatives in West Polesia from 1921 to 1939

was still Europe’s largest swampland area in the first half of the twentieth century. The western part formed the voivodeship of Polesia, which belonged to Poland and was inhabited mainly by Eastern Slavs (in rural areas) and Jews (in the cities and shtetls). Considered a terra non grata until the nineteenth century, political and state actors and others closely associated with the government now began to conceive, prepare and carry out modernization measures in order to develop the region’s agricultural constitution, structure and production. Some of their arguments were explicitly “apolitical.” Until 1939, land consolidation measures and, in part, the dissolution of easements were successfully carried out. On the other hand, the planned settlement of ex-military personnel, the partial expropriation and parcelling out of land and the melioration of swamps were only achieved on a relatively small scale. Over one million hectares of wetlands were to be meliorated in a single large-scale project. However, this only succeeded to a limited extent. Such a mammoth interventionist undertaking first faced technical and organizational difficulties; secondly, there was a lack of funds; thirdly, there were a number of interventionist projects in Central Poland and on the Baltic Sea that were considered more important; and fourthly, the local farmer-fishermen were not enthused by the prospect of melioration, as the areas of “improved” land were to benefit non-locals and the transition to grain production would reduce wildlife and fishing areas. There was local resistance to wide-spread melioration for rational reasons, however the modernizers saw it merely as the stubborn conservatism of an isolated population of maverick dissenters. The modernization measures were presented as an assimilation program for the consolidation of the Polish nation, which was intended to turn primitive people who lacked national consciousness (tutejsi, poleszucy) into de facto Poles. As a result, Polesia remained a neglected region within Poland. However, as a result of these landscape interventions and demographic developments, the question of owner¬ship and commons structures increasingly came to the fore.

Identificación espacial de los sistemas de humedales continentales de Colombia

El Repositorio Institucional de Documentación Científica del Instituto Alexander von Humboldt tiene como propósito recopilar, almacenar, preservar y difundir la producción científica que genera el Instituto como resultado de sus investigaciones y en esa perspectiva busca retornar al país el conocimiento institucional sobre la biodiversidad colombiana.

Birds of the Reserva Biológica do Mato Grande and surroundings, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

The Reserva Biológica do Mato Grande encompasses 5,161 hectares of wetlands, restinga forests and grasslands in southern Brazil. Aiming to assemble a list of bird species occurring in the reserve, we carried out 21 monthly expeditions from July 2007 to March 2009 and an additional visit on October 2014, totaling 341 hours of sampling. We additionally searched for records in online databases and museums. In total, 211 species of birds were found, compared to 223.83 (SD = 3.88) and 214.68 (SD = 4.71) species respectively predicted through Jackknife 2 and Chao 2 estimations. Plegadis chihi was the most abundant bird roosting in the reserve. The area is important for the conservation of Circus cinereus, Spartonoica maluroides, Limnoctites rectirostris and Sporophila palustris, which are considered threatened or near-threatened in state, national and/or global levels. We emphasize the urgent need of implementing the Reserva Biológica do Mato Grande in order to conserve the regional avifauna.

Economic and conservation ramifications from the decline of waterfowl hunters

AbstractCurrent waterfowl populations provide liberal hunting seasons, but waterfowl hunter numbers have declined since the mid‐1990s. We hypothesized that trends in waterfowl hunter numbers, as indicated by Federal Migratory Bird Hunting Conservation Stamp (duck stamp) sales, have become independent of breeding duck populations, and we assess the impacts on habitat conservation. The relationship between duck breeding populations and duck stamp sales changed between 1955–1994 (r = 0.81) and 1995–2008 (r = 0.29). Based on the 1955–1994 relationship between total duck breeding population and duck stamp sales, about 600,000 fewer duck stamps than expected were sold annually during 1995–2008. This equates to a loss of US$126 million in gross revenue and from 42,500 to 80,900 fewer hectares of wetland and upland hectares protected. The current relationship between duck breeding population and duck stamp sales suggests future estimates of waterfowl hunters will decrease below 1 million when the breeding population declines below 32 million. Assuming current trends, expected losses of duck stamp revenues may result in an additional 2,800–13,900 unprotected ha/year if the duck breeding population declines to historical lows. Development and implementation of programs and policies that maintain or increase participation in waterfowl hunting will assist in habitat conservation efforts and continue waterfowl hunting traditions. © 2013 The Wildlife Society.

Methylmercury in water, sediment, and invertebrates in created wetlands of Rouge Park, Toronto, Canada

Thousands of hectares of wetlands are created annually because wetlands provide beneficial ecosystem services. Wetlands are also key sites for production of the bioaccumulative neurotoxin methylmercury (MeHg), but little is known about MeHg production in created systems. Here, we studied methylmercury in sediment, water, and invertebrates in created wetlands of various ages. Sediment MeHg reached 8 ng g−1 in the newest wetland, which was significantly greater than in natural, control wetlands. This trend was mirrored in several invertebrate taxa, whose concentrations reached as high as 1.6 μg g−1 in the newest wetland, above levels thought to affect reproduction in birds. The MeHg concentrations in created wetland invertebrate taxa generally decreased with increasing wetland age, possibly due to a combination of deeper anoxia and less organic matter accumulation in younger wetlands. A short-term management intervention and/or improved engineering design may be necessary to reduce the mercury-associated risk in newly created wetlands.

A vegetation-based Index of Biotic Integrity to assess marsh reclamation success in the Alberta oil sands, Canada

Thousands of hectares of wetlands that are being destroyed by the oil sands mining process in Alberta, Canada must be compensated for. The reclamation requirements demand that compensatory wetlands meet a minimum level of ecological health, and be certified as successfully reclaimed. To assist the government in compliance monitoring we developed a vegetation-based Index of Biotic Integrity (vIBI), an ecological assessment tool that has been used in many jurisdictions to assess the ecological health of natural, degraded, or reclaimed wetlands. Our 45 study sites represented a gradient of physical and chemical stress, with 25 natural reference wetlands to represent the optimal outcome of reclamation, and 20 oil sands reclaimed wetlands. We assessed vegetation community attributes (metrics) for correlation with a physicochemical stress gradient, and incorporated the metrics with the highest correlations into two vIBI tools, an advanced vIBI (AvIBI) and a basic vIBI (BvIBI). A small fraction of all possible metrics had acceptable correlations ( R 2 > 0.25) with the stress gradient. Six metrics were incorporated into the AvIBI, and three metrics into the BvIBI. Both indexes were highly and significantly correlated with the stress gradient. The AvIBI requires in-depth vegetation assessment at each site and can be used to certify sites that display ecological health within the range of natural wetlands. The BvIBI requires little botanical expertise to implement, and can be used to chart reclamation progress. Both the AvIBI and BvIBI evaluated 14 of the 20 oil sands reclaimed wetlands as having low ecological health.

SEDIMENT DYNAMICS IN THE RESTORED REACH OF THE KISSIMMEE RIVER BASIN, FLORIDA: A VAST SUBTROPICAL RIPARIAN WETLAND

ABSTRACTHistorically, the Kissimmee River Basin consisted of a broad nearly annually inundated riparian wetland similar in character to tropical Southern Hemisphere large rivers. The river was channelized in the 1960s and 1970s, draining the wetland. The river is currently being restored with over 10 000 hectares of wetlands being reconnected to 70 river km of naturalized channel. We monitored riparian wetland sediment dynamics between 2007 and 2010 at 87 sites in the restored reach and 14 sites in an unrestored reference reach. Discharge and sediment transport were measured at the downstream end of the restored reach. There were three flooding events during the study, two as annual flood events and a third as a greater than a 5‐year flood event. Restoration has returned periodic flood flow to the riparian wetland and provides a mean sedimentation rate of 11.3 mm per year over the study period in the restored reach compared with 1.7 mm per year in an unrestored channelized reach. Sedimentation from the two annual floods was within the normal range for alluvial Coastal Plain rivers. Sediment deposits consisted of over 20% organics, similar to eastern blackwater rivers. The Kissimmee River is unique in North America for its hybrid alluvial/blackwater nature. Fluvial suspended‐sediment measurements for the three flood events indicate that a majority of the sediment (70%) was sand, which is important for natural levee construction. Of the total suspended sediment load for the three flood events, 3%–16% was organic and important in floodplain deposition. Sediment yield is similar to low‐gradient rivers draining to the Chesapeake Bay and alluvial rivers of the southeastern USA. Continued monitoring should determine whether observed sediment transport and floodplain deposition rates are normal for this river and determine the relationship between historic vegetation community restoration, hydroperiod restoration, and sedimentation. Published in 2011 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.