Wetland Complex Research Articles

Evaluating the Effects of Wetland Restoration on Ecosystem Services Using InVEST and Geostatistics: A Case Study of Dongting Lake in China

Ecological restoration projects aim to recover ecosystems that have been degraded, damaged, or destroyed. The effective assessment of these projects is crucial for ensuring that restoration goals are met and for guiding future efforts. The Poplar Ecological Restoration Project (PERP), focused on removing floodplain poplar plantations, is a key environmental initiative in China to preserve the ecological functions and services of the Dongting Lake freshwater wetland complex. Understanding the dynamic changes in ecosystem services and their trade-offs/synergies before and after the project is crucial for ensuring that ecosystem services are maintained and enhanced. This study selected three key ecosystem services, water conservation, carbon storage, and habitat quality, as indicators to assess the PERP. Using the Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Trade-offs (InVEST) model and geostatistical methods, including the Spearman correlation analysis and spatial autocorrelation analysis, we explored the ecological outcomes of the project. The results indicated that since its implementation in 2014, the PERP has significantly altered the land use and land cover (LULC) in the lake. Most of the former plantations have been converted into reedbeds (17,404 ha), followed by sedgelands (3841 ha), mudflats (443 ha), shallow waters (382 ha), and deep waters (301 ha). During this period, water conservation and habitat quality initially decreased and then increased, while carbon storage continuously declined. Overall, all assessed services showed an increasing trend except for carbon storage, resulting in a slight decrease in the integrated ecosystem services. Moreover, there were strong bivariate associations among the three investigated ecosystem services, and the synergies were strengthened during the project. Importantly, these synergies became positive after the PERP, meaning that the improvement of one service enhanced others, potentially leading to a more sustainable and resilient ecosystem.

Climate‐Driven Projections of Future Global Wetlands Extent

AbstractWetlands are crucial components of the Earth's system, interacting with various processes such as the hydrological cycle, energy exchanges with the atmosphere, and global nitrogen and carbon cycles. The future trajectory of wetlands is anticipated to be influenced not only by direct human activities, but also by climate change. Here we present our assessment of climate‐driven global changes in wetlands extent, focusing on the main wetland complexes. We used an approach based on the Topographic Hydrological model (TOPMODEL) and soil liquid water content projections from 14 models of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6). Our analysis reveals a consistent decrease in wetlands extent in the Mediterranean, Central America, and northern South America, with a substantial loss of 28% in the western Amazon Basin for the end of the 21st century (2081–2100) under the SSP370 scenario. Conversely, Central Africa exhibits an increase in wetlands extent, except in the Congo Basin. Nevertheless, most of the areas studied (80%) present uncertain results, due to conflicting projections of changes between the models. Notably, we show that there is significant uncertainty among CMIP6 models regarding liquid soil water content in high latitudes. By narrowing our focus to 10 models, which seem to better represent the thawing of permafrost, we obtain a better inter‐model agreement. We then find a modest declines in the overall global area (<5%), but an average loss of 13% beyond 50°N. Specific areas like the Hudson Bay Lowlands experiencing a 21% decrease and the Western Siberian Lowlands a 15% decrease.

Modelling Water Depth, Turbidity and Chlorophyll Using Airborne Hyperspectral Remote Sensing in a Restored Pond Complex of Doñana National Park (Spain)

Restored wetlands should be closely monitored to fully evaluate the effectiveness of restoration efforts. However, regular post-restoration monitoring can be time-consuming and expensive, and is often absent or inadequate. Satellite and airborne remote sensing systems have proven to be cost-effective tools in many fields, but they have not been widely used to monitor ecological restoration. This study assessed the potential of airborne hyperspectral remote sensing to monitor water mass characteristics of experimental temporary ponds in the Mediterranean region. These ponds were created during marsh restoration in Doñana National Park (south-west Spain). We used hyperspectral images acquired by the CASI-1500 hyperspectral airborne sensor to estimate and map water depth, turbidity and chlorophyll a in a subset of the 96 new ponds. The high spatial and spectral resolution of the CASI sensor allowed us to detect differences between ponds in water depth, turbidity and chlorophyll a, providing accurate mapping of these three variables, and a useful method to assess restoration success. High levels of spatial variation were recorded between different ponds, which likely generates high diversity in the animal and plant species that they contain. These results highlight the great potential of hyperspectral sensors for the long-term monitoring of wetland complexes in the Mediterranean region and elsewhere.

Simulation of Flow and Salinity in a Large Seasonally Managed Wetland Complex

Seasonally managed wetlands in the San Joaquin River (SJR) watershed in California provide important benefits to wildlife and humans but are threatened through anthropogenic activity. Wetlands in the SJR are subject to salinity regulation, which poses challenges for wetland management. Salinity management in the SJR basin is supported by a process-based model, the Watershed Analysis Risk Management Framework (WARMF). Wetlands are simulated with a “bathtub” analog where water levels are assumed to be the same over one model compartment and the storage volume depends on depth. The complexity and extent of hydrological features pose challenges for input data acquisition. Two approaches to estimating inflow and pond depth and determining water sources were assessed. Approach 1 used mostly monitored data, while Approach 2 used wetland manager knowledge. Approach 2 predicted outflow and salinity better than Approach 1, and an important benefit was the simulation of water reuse within the wetland complex, which was previously not implemented. Approach 1 is generally suited for estimating pond depth when a model compartment represents one wetland, while Approach 2 is suited for wetlands with large spatial extent, many hydrological features, and managed flows. The improved model will support wetland management.

Diversity and dominance in bird assemblages across habitats in the Ñeembucú wetlands complex

AbstractUnderstanding how diversity responds to habitat heterogeneity in a landscape is a central issue for implementing effective conservation plans. In this study, we analyzed how the composition and abundance of neotropical bird assemblages vary among habitats in the Ñeembucú Wetlands Complex, the largest wetland system in Paraguay. Bird surveys were conducted during 1 year within dominant habitats in the landscape: riparian forests, natural grasslands, savannas, and anthropized sites. The Ñeembucú Wetlands Complex showed a high bird richness (209 species) that contrasted with a pattern of dominance by a small set of 16 species that comprised half of the abundance. This set of oligarchic species consists of generalist species that exploited a wide variety of habitats and were well adapted to human disturbance, contributing to an important overlap in the composition of assemblages. However, despite this overall similarity, there is still significant differentiation in bird assemblages, especially between habitats with the most contrasting vegetation physiognomy. Riparian forests and savannas showed higher diversity values than the more structurally homogeneous grasslands. Also, all natural habitats showed, in general, higher diversity values than anthropized sites. Oligarchic species had higher importance in anthropized environments, which also had the most uneven distribution of abundance between species, indicating the dominance by a smaller number of species and the loss of ecological diversity as farmland and urban development increase.Abstract in Spanish is available with online material.

Activity Pattern and Habitat Use of Shorebirds in an Artificial Wetland Complex: A Case Study of Breeding Pied Avocet in the Yellow River Delta, China

Activity Pattern and Habitat Use of Shorebirds in an Artificial Wetland Complex: A Case Study of Breeding Pied Avocet in the Yellow River Delta, China

Water quality and wetland vegetation responses to water level variations in a university stormwater reuse reservoir: Nature-based approaches to campus water sustainability

In response to climate-driven water shortages, Duke University in 2014 constructed a water reuse reservoir and wetland complex (Pond) to capture urban stormwater and recycle water to provide campus cooling and reduce downstream loading of nutrients and sediment into Jordan Lake, a regional water supply. We postulated that even with significant water level changes due to withdrawals, the Pond would function to reduce downstream nutrients and sediment once wetland plants became established in the littoral zone. Throughout the project (2015–2021), baseflow nutrient concentrations downstream decreased, with Unfiltered Total Nitrogen (UTN) falling by 44 % and Unfiltered Total Phosphorus (UTP) by 50 %. Storm mean concentrations decreased by 31 % for UTN, 54 % for UTP, and 72 % for Total Suspended Solids (TSS). The annual reductions in mass fluxes (UTN, UTP, and TSS) were between 58 and 85 % across a range of storm intensities. Regardless of water level, temperature, pH, and oxygen concentrations downstream were not significantly changed. Between 2015 and 2020, a littoral survey of planted and naturally introduced species showed that wetter years resulted in a greater number of species across a gradient of three inundation zones (i.e., moist, wet, and aquatic). Conversely, dryer years resulted in fewer species across overlapping zones. The dominant plants that successfully colonized the Pond are all obligate wetland species despite the Pond's highly variable water depths and periods of inundation. The final plant populations were dominated by invasive native species supporting the self-design theory of plant succession as nearly half of the original planted species died. The reuse Pond design (pond-wetland complex) showed the capability of using stormwater runoff for campus cooling while improving water quality services and providing habitat for wetland plants. Thus, campuses with watershed runoff capture capability should consider a nature-based recycling approach as part of their water sustainability program.

Waterbird diversity of Saman Wetland Complex in Uttar Pradesh: a crucial site for the India’s National Action Plan on migratory birds

The Saman Wetland Complex is formed by five major wetlands present in Etawah and Mainpuri districts of Uttar Pradesh. The habitat is majorly a wetland system with scrub vegetation along the edges and surrounded by agricultural fields; attracting a diverse group of bird species. These wetlands are an ideal habitat for Sarus Crane and are also Important Bird Areas. In the past two decades, the anthropogenic activities have deteriorated the habitat and wetlands no longer support the earlier congregation of birds. The study conducted during 2020–2021 provides baseline information on the present status of the Saman wetland complex, waterbird diversity, threats faced by the wetlands & waterbirds, and suggests future management/ conservation strategies.

Natural disturbance allows multiple anuran taxa to persist in a dynamic wetland complex

AbstractThe maintenance of biological diversity is frequently enhanced in a heterogenous landscape by some level of disturbance. Thus, when a landscape becomes stabilized and homogenized through the spread of an invasive plant species, there may be consequences for native biodiversity, particularly for those biotas that depend on the pre‐existing, natural disturbance regime of that landscape. At Long Point, Ontario, Canada, a sandspit in Lake Erie, the community of anuran amphibians experienced the co‐incidence of 2 major disturbance events, 1 anthropogenic and 1 natural: an intervention to remove the invasive form of the common reed (Phragmites australis australis) and a spate of extensive dune washouts caused by high water levels and storms. As a result of the unequal distribution of disturbance in the landscape, different areas were affected by only the dune washouts, only the common reed treatment, both disturbances, or neither disturbance. From May to August 2021, we explored how the disturbances affected the resident frog and toad species habitat associations in the 4 different disturbance conditions in the landscape. By means of minnow traps, acoustic surveys, and visual surveys, we determined that the dune washouts had a greater influence on resident anurans than the common reed treatment. Ranid frogs (Ranidae) tended to inhabit non‐washout sites, whereas Fowler's toads (Anaxyrus fowleri) congregated in the newly formed, sand flats and shallow, de‐vegetated pools resulting from the washouts. Neither ranid frogs nor Fowler's toads demonstrated avoidance of the sites affected by the herbicide treatment and mechanical rollover of the common reed. This evidence of species sorting, which enables multiple species to persist in a dynamic and heterogeneous landscape, suggests that wildlife management in aid of threatened species recovery may find success by encouraging natural disturbance regimes in dynamic landscapes. Future management endeavors should consider refraining from complete dune stabilization in these landscapes to allow the natural washouts to occur at a higher frequency, while ensuring the continued effectiveness of the invasive common reed eradication.

Forecast the Habitat Sustainability of Schoenus ferrugineus L. (Cyperaceae) in the Southern Urals under Climate Change.

An analysis of the current potential range of the Pleistocene relict plant species Schoenus ferrugineus and modeling of changes in its future range under moderate (RCP4.5) and strong (RCP8.5) climate change in the middle and second half of the 21st century were carried out. The MaxEnt program was used for modeling. Climate variables from CHELSA Bioclim, the global digital soil mapping system SoilGrids, and a digital elevation model were used as predictors. Modeling has shown that climate change will lead to a significant reduction in the suitability of S. ferrugineus habitat conditions by the mid-21st century. The predicted changes in the distribution of habitats of S. ferrugineus, a diagnostic species of calcareous mires and an indicator of their ecological state, indicate a possible strong transformation of wetland complexes in the Southern Urals region even under moderate climate change. A reduction in the distribution of S. ferrugineus at the eastern limit of its range will also be facilitated by more frequent extreme droughts. To maintain the distribution of S. ferrugineus on the eastern border of its range, a number of measures are proposed to mitigate the negative consequences of climate change, contributing to the preservation of the hydrological regime of calcareous mires.

Untangling the implications of climate-forcing and human-induced drivers in streamflow variability: the Magdalena River, Colombia

ABSTRACT A comprehensive study was conducted to analyse the impact of different drivers on streamflow downstream of the Magdalena River (MR), Colombia, between 1971 and 2020. The study considered El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events as a climate-forcing driver and evaporation from the reservoir network as a human-induced driver. Streamflow data was linked to previously categorized ENSO events, then standardized and classified based on date and year to evaluate inter- and intra-annual changes in streamflow. Daily evaporation losses were calculated using meteorological records and the aerodynamic method. The study also grouped 10-year periods of evaporation and streamflow to assess their ranges, rates, and water volumes. The results showed a decrease in means, volume, and maximum streamflow, while evaporation and minimum streamflow increased, especially during positive ENSOs. These changes in streamflow could have a significant impact on river-dominated dependent ecosystems, such as the MR downstream wetland complex, putting these ecosystems at risk.

Contextualizing willingness to pay for sustainable management of agroecosystem services in a rapidly transforming landscape: Insights from the interdunal wetlands of Medinipur Coastal Plain, India

Interdunal wetlands of the Medinipur coastal plain provide various agroecosystem services (AES). Local populace had been found to utilize these wetlands for subsistence livelihood since time immemorial. However, many of these wetlands have become degraded by extensive land use conversions along with increasing apathy among young farmers to continue wetland based traditional livelihood practices in the recent years. In this regard, the present study attempts to assess the willingness to pay (WTP) of the local wetland dependent populace towards restoration and management of the various AES of a regional interdunal wetland complex using contingent valuation (CV) method. The CV survey was conducted among 229 households from 14 villages associated to the wetland complex. Four Landsat images from 1990 to 2020 and several ancillary spatial datasets were analysed to detect the current as well as future status (2030) of land use covers using the artificial neural network algorithm. Results showed that socio-economic factors such as age, level of education, monthly income per person, ownership of wetlands, and availability of AES primarily determined the average WTP (US$ 0.30 per month) of surveyed households. Thus, the total economic value of the wetland complex, calculated as the aggregate WTP, was remarkably as low as US$ 11568.64 per year, thereby indicating towards lesser environmental awareness and widespread poverty among the respondents. This perilous condition is also manifested in the present and future projected LULC patterns from 1990 to 2030. If the same trend of mismanagement prevails in the imminent years, a drop of more than 50% in areal coverage of interdunal wetlands is anticipated. Based on the findings, it was suggested that the vicious cycle of ‘lesser awareness-low WTP-wetland loss-degrading provision of AES’ could only be replaced through a three-pronged approach comprising environmental education, technological dissemination, and legislative cum ecotourism interventions.

Improved Wetland Mapping of a Highly Fragmented Agricultural Landscape Using Land Surface Phenological Features

Wetlands are integral components of agricultural landscapes, providing a wide range of ecological, economic, and social benefits essential for sustainable development and rural livelihoods. Globally, they are vulnerable ecological assets facing several significant threats including water extraction and regulation, land clearing and reclamation, and climate change. Classification and mapping of wetlands in agricultural landscapes is crucial for conserving these ecosystems to maintain their ecological integrity amidst ongoing land-use changes and environmental pressures. This study aims to establish a robust framework for wetland classification and mapping in intensive agricultural landscapes using time series of Sentinel-2 imagery, with a focus on the Gwydir Wetland Complex situated in the northern Murray–Darling Basin—Australia’s largest river system. Using the Google Earth Engine (GEE) platform, we extracted two groups of predictors based on six vegetation indices time series calculated from multi-temporal Sentinel-2 surface reflectance (SR) imagery: the first is statistical features summarizing the time series and the second is phenological features based on harmonic analysis of time series data (HANTS). We developed and evaluated random forest (RF) models for each level of classification with combination of different groups of predictors. Our results show that RF models involving both HANTS and statistical features perform strongly with significantly high overall accuracy and class-weighted F1 scores (p < 0.05) when comparing with models with either statistical or HANTS variables. While the models have excellent performance (F-score greater than 0.9) in distinguishing wetlands from other landcovers (croplands, terrestrial uplands, and open waters), the inter-class discriminating power among wetlands is class-specific: wetlands that are frequently inundated (including river red gum forests and wetlands dominated by common reed, water couch, and marsh club-rush) are generally better identified than the ones that are flooded less frequently, such as sedgelands and woodlands dominated by black box and coolabah. This study demonstrates that HANTS features extracted from time series Sentinel data can significantly improve the accuracy of wetland mapping in highly fragmentated agricultural landscapes. Thus, this framework enables wetland classification and mapping to be updated on a regular basis to better understand the dynamic nature of these complex ecosystems and improve long-term wetland monitoring.

Diversity of Freshwater Turtles Melanochelys trijuga in and Around Sankarapuram Wetland Complex on Kallakurichi District, Tamil Nadu, India

India is one of the most species-rich regions of freshwater turtles in the world, also, they are being collected, for slaughter, eaten, and traded in huge numbers. The scope of this study on Melanochelys trijuga, also known as the Indian Black Turtle, focuses on collecting comprehensive information about the species in India, specifically in Tamil Nadu, with a special emphasis on Sankarapuram.The study aims to address the lack of current data about this turtle species and contribute to the understanding of its taxonomy, distribution, habitat, behavior, and conservation status. Various methods are employed in this study such as visual sighting of habitat to encounter the target animal, and, indirectly through interview-based survey information from local communities. Visual survey was conducted on 20 locations of the sankarapuram study area. On the surveyed 20 locations the tortoise was observed in five locations viz. two Coconut farm, two ordinary well which used for irrigation purpose and a lake side muddy shallow area. Totally 10 individuals were observed in this study period. We had an opportunity to examine the specimens very closely once it comes out behind the open well. The captured specimens were later examined by comparison with the standard key characteristics and manuals in order to identify the specimen and found as Melanochelys trijuga species. In this study we observed both male and female individuals. The individuals are found as adults. The characteristics and ecology information were compared with the existing data in previous record and publications and manuals. Obtained Melanochelys trijuga species was found as Nearly Threatened status in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) category.

Bunchgrass Meadows — Among Our Wetlands of Distinction

In the northeast corner of Washington State sit the Selkirk and Kettle mountain ranges. There, woodland caribou, grizzly bear, and gray wolves freely roam 1.5 million acres of spruce and fir forest, talus, and river valleys. Within this geographic area is Bunchgrass Meadows, a 711-acre (288-hectare) wetland complex within the Colville National Forest that stands out as one of the many gems on our public lands and one of the newest “Wetlands of Distinction”. Bunchgrass Meadows is at the headwaters of Harvey Creek and at the crossroads of Kootenai, Colville, Kalispel, Spokane, and Okanogan traditional tribal lands (Figure 1). This relatively high-elevation feature (about 5,084 ft., 1,550 m) is found in the Canadian Rocky Mountain ecoregion near the boundary between Washington and Idaho. Snowmelt and rain confined by the surrounding hillslopes collect and linger on a slow meander to Harvey Creek at the northeastern end, sustaining an exceptionally rich and diverse array of wetland habitats (riverine, lacustrine, slope, and depressional; Figure 2). Multiple natural resource management agencies have compiled documentation on the unique structure and composition of this wetland complex. The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) designated Bunchgrass Meadows as a Research Natural Area (RNA) in 2008. The USFS’ regional RNA Committee found Bunchgrass Meadows to be exemplary of terrestrial and wetland ecosystems, including high elevation mountain meadow,

Global annual wetland dataset at 30 m with a fine classification system from 2000 to 2022

Wetlands play a key role in maintaining ecological balance and climate regulation. However, due to the complex and variable spectral characteristics of wetlands, there are no publicly available global 30-meter time-series wetland dynamic datasets at present. In this study, we present novel global 30 m annual wetland maps (GWL_FCS30D) using time-series Landsat imagery on the Google Earth Engine platform, covering the period of 2000–2022 and containing eight wetland subcategories. Specifically, we make full use of our prior globally distributed wetland training sample pool, and adopt the local adaptive classification and spatiotemporal consistency checking algorithm to generate annual wetland maps. The GWL_FCS30D maps were found to achieve an overall accuracy and Kappa coefficient of 86.95 ± 0.44% and 0.822, respectively, in 2020, and show great temporal variability in the United States and the European Union. We expect the dataset would provide vital support for wetland ecosystems protection and sustainable development.

Soil carbon dynamics in drained prairie pothole wetlands

Drainage leads to trade-offs between crop production efficiency and wetland conservation, with complex impacts on ecosystem services. In North America’s Prairie Pothole Region, wetland drainage is widespread, often to increase the available land for cultivation, prevent crop loss due to flooding, and manage soil salinity. Wetlands are known for providing key ecosystem services such as improved water quality, flood mitigation, and carbon storage. There is limited research on how changes to soil hydrology and soil redistribution through wetland drainage can impact soil carbon storage and persistence in this region. This research evaluates factors that contribute to soil carbon storage in drained prairie pothole wetland based on 33 drained wetlands in Saskatchewan, Canada. These analyses showed regional differences in the response of soil carbon storage to drainage that are driven by environmental factors such as annual precipitation, temperature, and wetland permanence. We observed increasing soil carbon storage from the Dark Brown to Black soil zones, as well as with longer wetland pond permanence. The sampling depth used for calculating soil carbon storage was especially important when comparing geographically across the soil zones as the Black soil zone had greater soil carbon stored at depth. Soil carbon was also intensively monitored over 2 years following installation of surface drainage across a wetland complex (8 drained wetlands) where water was partially directed to a consolidation wetland. We further assessed changes in soil carbon dynamics and protection from microbial decomposition based on three soil organic matter fractions, ATR-FTIR for organic matter functional groups, and phospholipid fatty acid analysis to understand the microbial community abundance and structure. After 2 years following drainage, ephemeral wetlands with short pond permanence were found to be most sensitive to drainage and the only wetland class with decreases in soil carbon. The temporary and seasonal wetland classes showed no significant differences in soil carbon content but there were changes in the organic matter with depth due to soil redistribution during drainage implementation. Jointly, this research provides region-specific estimates of soil carbon storage in drained prairie pothole wetlands that can be used to inform wetland soil carbon management in cultivated fields.

Geographic patterns and environmental correlates of taxonomic, phylogenetic and functional β-diversity of wetland plants in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) harbours the largest wetland complex in China, with a relatively high diversity of wetland plants. While there has been extensive research on the α-diversity of various plant groups in the QTP, the study of β-diversity specifically in wetland plants has been limited. In this study, we quantified the geographic pattern of wetland plant β-diversity from three dimensions: taxonomic, phylogenetic, and functional. We assessed the relative importance of geographic distance, climatic distance, environmental distance and topographic distance on the pattern of β-diversity. The results indicate a high consistency in the geographic pattern of wetland plant β-diversity across the three dimensions. β-diversity is high in the mountainous regions at the edge of the plateau and relatively low in the plateau platform. The turnover component contributes more to taxonomic β-diversity than nestedness, whereas the opposite is true for phylogenetic and functional β-diversity. Furthermore, taxonomic β-diversity is higher than phylogenetic and functional β-diversity. The geographic patterns of taxonomic, phylogenetic and functional diversity of wetland plants in the QTP are jointly influenced by environmental filtering and dispersal limitation. Climatic variables (temperature seasonality, annual precipitation, precipitation seasonality and annual mean temperature) and topographic variables (elevation variation coefficient, elevation and slope) were identified as the main factors influencing wetland plant β-diversity in the QTP. Overall, this study contributes to elucidating the evolutionary history and formation mechanisms of wetland plant communities in the QTP, and reveals the large-scale patterns of wetland plant diversity.

First confirmed reproduction by a translocated female Siamese Crocodile Crocodylus siamensis (Crocodylidae: Crocodilia) with observations of nest attendance and nest-associated fauna

The Siamese Crocodile Crocodylus siamensis is considered one of the most imperiled and poorly-studied crocodilians in the world. Translocations (reintroductions) - often in conjunction with head-starting of juveniles - are a critical component of efforts to restore viable wild populations of C. siamensis. We here report the first confirmed nesting by a known-age, head-started, and translocated female C. siamensis together with observations of nest attendance and nest-associated fauna based on camera trap imagery. Our observations occurred in the Greater Xe Champhone Wetland Complex (GXCWC) in Savannakhet Province, Lao PDR. GXCWC encompasses 45,000 ha of seasonally inundated natural and anthropogenic wetlands, agricultural ecosystems, scrubland, and forest. While collecting eggs for incubation in May 2022, we were able to identify a unique series of notched tail scutes on a female C. siamensis as she aggressively defended a nest. From these markings we determined the female was hatched on 11 August 2012 (age = 9.75 years) and released in March 2014, approximately 3.5 km from the nest site. A game camera placed at the nest on 11 May 2022 and recovered on 5 July 2022 (34 trap nights) recorded 1724 images. These images indicated the female remained in attendance at the nest throughout the monitoring period. Camera trap imagery captured eight nest repair events and two nest defense events; during the latter the female defended the nest from village dogs. Eleven species of nest-associated fauna were recorded by the game camera, including eight and three species of birds and mammals, respectively. Our observations are the first confirmed nesting by a head-started, translocated female C. siamensis indicating these are effective conservation strategies for restoring wild populations. We also unequivocally established that head-started female C. siamensis are capable of reproducing when nine-years-old.

Spatiotemporal Patterns of Reptile and Amphibian Road Fatalities in a Natura 2000 Area: A 12-Year Monitoring of the Lake Karla Mediterranean Wetland.

The pervasive expansion of human-engineered infrastructure, particularly roads, has fundamentally reshaped landscapes, profoundly affecting wildlife interactions. Wildlife-vehicle collisions, a common consequence of this intricate interplay, frequently result in fatalities, extending their detrimental impact within Protected Areas (PAs). Among the faunal groups most susceptible to road mortality, reptiles and amphibians stand at the forefront, highlighting the urgent need for global comprehensive mitigation strategies. In Greece, where road infrastructure expansion has encroached upon a significant portion of the nation's PAs, the plight of these road-vulnerable species demands immediate attention. To address this critical issue, we present a multifaceted and holistic approach to investigating and assessing the complex phenomenon of herpetofauna road mortality within the unique ecological context of the Lake Karla plain, a rehabilitated wetland complex within a PA. To unravel the intricacies of herpetofauna road mortality in the Lake Karla plain, we conducted a comprehensive 12-year investigation from 2008 to 2019. Employing a combination of statistical modeling and spatial analysis techniques, we aimed to identify the species most susceptible to these encounters, their temporal and seasonal variations, and the ecological determinants of their roadkill patterns. We documented a total of 340 roadkill incidents involving 14 herpetofauna species in the Lake Karla's plain, with reptiles, particularly snakes, being more susceptible, accounting for over 60% of roadkill occurrences. Moreover, we found that environmental and road-related factors play a crucial role in influencing roadkill incidents, while spatial analysis techniques, including Kernel Density Estimation, the Getis-Ord Gi*, and the Kernel Density Estimation plus methods revealed critical areas, particularly in the south-eastern region of Lake Karla's plain, offering guidance for targeted interventions to address both individual and collective risks associated with roadkill incidents.