According to the definition given by the Ramsar Convention Manual (2013) “wetlands are areas where water is the primary factor controlling the environment and the associated plant and animal life” and it recognizes the existences of five major types of wetlands (Ramsar, 2013):
1) marine(coastal wetlands including coastal lagoons, rocky shores, and coral reefs)
2) estuarine(including deltas, tidal marshes, and mangrove swamps)
3) lacustrine (wetlands associated with lakes)
4) riverine(wetlands along rivers and streams)
5) palustrine (meaning “marshy” – marshes, swamps and bogs)
Also, according to Ramsar (2013), wetlands are among the world’s most productive environments and its importance has being documented greatly in recent years. Since they are a fundamental piece for the development of the areas around them, it’s become important to properly value its environmental functions and services, and to acknowledge the benefits associated with their restoration and conservation.
Economic valuation gives us a basic tool for making decisions on environmental resources. The decision to protect and/or maintain these environments should be compared with the monetary results of alternative development to those spaces. The monetary valuation process is known as the attempt to assign a monetary value to goods and services provided by environmental resources (Barbier, 1997).
Since the goods and services provided by wetlands are not traded in markets, it is necessary to conduct a joint assessment by the following three methods proposed by the Ramsar Convention (Barbier, 1997):
1) Impact Analysis: measures the impact of damage to the wetland by specific external source.
2) Partial evaluation: evaluation of two more options for using wetlan...
... middle of paper ...
...Restoration of Damage to Natural Resources for the Purpose of Environmental Liability, European Commission, Directorate-General Environment.
• Ramsar Convention Secretariat, (2013). The Ramsar Convention Manual: a guide to the Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar, Iran, 1971), 6th ed.
• Lambert, A. (2003). Economic valuation of wetlands: an important component of wetland management strategies at the river basin scale. Ramsar bureau http://www. ramsar. org/features/features_econ_val1. htm.
• Schuyt, K., & Brander, L. (2004). The economic values of the world's wetlands. WWF.
• Barbier, E. B., Acreman, M., & Knowler, D. (1997). Economic valuation of wetlands: a guide for policy makers and planners. Gland, Switzerland: Ramsar Convention Bureau.
• Jantzen, J. (2006). The economic value of natural and environmental resources. TME, Institute for Applied Environmental Economics.
The first mitigation banking guidance was released in 1995 by the EPA and Corps of Engineers. The most recent wetland mitigation banking guidance was released in 2008. The idea behind both wetland mitigation banking and conservation banking is to provide compensation for unavoidable impacts to resources prior to the environmental impact taking place (FWS, 2003). Based on the rules set forth in section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act and section 404 of the Clean Water Act, wetland impacts are reduced by using the following sequence of steps: avoiding impacts, minimizing impacts, and as a last resort, mitigating for impacts. Although the Corps has enforced a mitigation policy to reg...
Westfields, a medium sized wetland region, is located on the outskirts of Limerick city and within the floodplain of the River Shannon (CAAS (Environmental Services) Ltd., 1999). Wetland regions are broadly defined within the Ramsar Convention (1971, 1), as, “areas of marsh, fen, peatland or water, whether natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, with water that is static or flowing, fresh, brackish or salt including areas of marine water, the depth of which at low tide does not exceed six metres.” Identified as some of the most diverse habitats on earth, wetlands are also under severe threat, with a “10% decrease in their area occurring worldwide between the years 1990 and 2006” (CORINE, 2006). Westfields is no exception. Known worldwide for the diverse flora and fauna, in particular avifauna, that are present, the area has seen a dramatic decrease in size from its traditional expansive domain to a present area of twenty-six hectares. Thus, this essay aims to examine in detail the biogeographic merits of these declining wetland regions in particular Westfields, record the current condition of this particular wetland, and explore potential ideas for future conservation.
... policy recommendations. The authors concluded that best perspective for implementing economic incentives is to prize the use of land and habitat conversion and give some helpful directions for the future researches.
The Everglades, classified as a wetland or a "transition zone" can support plant and animal life unlike any other place. Wetlands are an important resource for endangered species and "that more than one third of the United States' threatened and endangered species live only in wetlands." Says Elaine Mao, the author of Wetlands and Habitat Loss. People have started to notice the importance and the role of wetlands like the Everglades and how they are valuable and essential for ecosystems to live. Wetlands provide so many kinds of plants, mammals, reptiles, birds, and
It could either both become polluted and destroyed by the community or it could expand, with more flora and fauna biodiversity. This change in the future is all dependant on the care that the community provide. With care from the local community and the government, the Dickson wetlands will continue to be a great place for the community but it may also have many benefits such as the recycled stormwater being used for irrigation. Council workers may be used to maintain the wetlands and surrounding areas. This has already started to be taken into consideration at some of the other wetlands around the
States can use watershed planning to help simplify the wetlands regulatory program in several ways. First, Advanced Identifications or similar watershed
This paper introduces the environmental concerns of the loss of coastal wetlands. The paper will discuss the significance of wetlands and the devastation that is occurring because of human activity. Wetlands are an essential element of our environment both ecological and societal; conservation will be essential for the preservation of these precious ecosystems.
wetlands. In order to do this, the NWI developed and utilizes a wetland classification system based on Cowardin et al. (1979). Utilizing this system, image analysts identify and classify wetlands and deepwater habitats from aerial photograph interpretation coupled with field-verification to ensure method accuracy. This information was formally only available as paper maps or transparent overlays, but data is now available through online mapping tools and standardized GIS information.
The paper includes a description of the wetlands and their ecological importance, as well as the political and economic impacts the highly managed and controlled system has on the areas that use its water. The paper summarizes and provides context for the preliminary research projects in the region. The paper states "water dedicated to the delta ecosystem will come at a cost". This is an important issue and refers to the fact that the water that is allowed to naturally flow downstream for environmental restoration purposes will not be used for municipal or agricultural use. The paper does not quantify the costs. It does however state, that the amount of water allocated for restoration in the delta will not be determined by science alone, but will most likely be determined by policy makers and stakeholders. Consistent monitoring of the ecological changes following the pulse flow release is essential for better management and continuous restoration of the river's riparian areas and the Colorado River Delta.
Between 300 and 400 million people worldwide live in areas near wetlands and depend on them. Wetlands are mechanisms for treatment of wastewater are extremely efficient because they absorb chemicals and filter pollutants and sediments. Half the world's wetlands have disappeared due to urbanization and industrial development. The only way to achieve sustainable development and poverty reduction will be through better management of rivers and wetlands, and the land they drain and drain as well as through increased investment in them.
Peatlands, are fens, swamps, marshes, and bogs that cover approximately 2-3% of the global land surface [5]. Peat bogs are infertile wetlands with acidic soil that contain unusual communities of plants and animals adapted to live in these conditions. Peat has high water holding capacity and stores organic carbon which has many benefits and functions to the environment. Unfortunately, wetlands are sensitive to environmental change and human impacts such as harvesting and agriculture. It is extremely important to protect and maintain these rare wetlands for the conservation of rare species that reside in these ecosystems and the biodiversity of plants. The importance of the restoration of peat bogs is vital for their survival although, climatic
Leal, Donald R., and Holly Lippke Fretwell. "Users Must Pay to Save Our National Parks." Consumers' Research Magazine, August 1997. First Search. Online. 12 Oct. 1998.
Tietenberg, Thomas. Environmental and Natural Resource Economics. Addison Wesley: New York, 2003. pp. 561. ISBN 0-201-77027-X, pp. 7-11.
Economic valuation is an important component of environmental policy, although it is difficult to affix a cost on the environment and ecosystem services, it is a measurement that is relevant to most in society humans. Therefore, economic tools may be useful in reinforcing the importance of maintaining biodiversity and preserving fragile ecosystems.
The Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl defines wetlands as “areas of marsh, fen, peatland or water, whether natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, with water that is static or flowing, fresh, brackish or salt, incl...