Riparian areas are the areas that surround rivers, streams, lakes, etc. The word “ripa” is Latin for bank. They are the transition zone between aquatic and on land ecosystems. It wasn’t until recently that riparian areas have been viewed as important places, rather than ‘sacrifice’ areas that could be given up for livestock and crops. They take up a small part of our earth, but they are vital to ecosystems and to the water they surround. The roles of riparian areas are rather simple, but they are extremely important to vegetation, wildlife, water, and us.
Riparian areas are the “in between” places between on land and aquatic ecosystems. It allows the transportation between the aquatic and the land ecosystems and the distribution of nutrients, which helps balance the surrounding ecosystems. Riparian areas are vital in stopping erosion, which can be a major problem for farmers and the surrounding areas. With less erosion happening, farmers are able to use more land, and not have to worry about the crops right near the stream. Riparian areas also help filter out pollutants like pes...
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.
Of course, you can’t forget the abiotic factors! Basically, just telling a bit more about the landscape. First, we have the physical features. The landscape of the slope impacts plant growth, hurts natural ecosystems by erosion, and unfortunately destroys the homes of animals. Although, animals and structures adapt to the slopes. T...
The difference between Riparian and Littoral are the types of water sources their property is situated next to, flowing versus non-flowing. A riparian property could be next to a stream, and a littoral property next to a
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.
What do these areas contain which makes them so important that they need to be protected? There is a vast amount of vegetation ...
A riparian zone would be an area surrounding and aquatic area like a creek (around 25 feet on each side). This area would be a transition from the aquatic environment to the terrestrial environment of everything around the creek. It would left alone and not be interfered with by human activities such as mowing or spraying pesticides on them. Any trash would be removed from the zone and signs would be put up around the area to let people be aware of the zone. All of this would allow for natural growth of plants and other organisms in the environment surrounding the creek. One pro of this idea would be that all of the plants would filter storm runoff and remove some pollutants before they reach the water. Another pro would be that all of the new environment would protect the bank from being eroded as severely as before. On the other side one con would be that it may take up a lot of space that would be hard to be kept natural and untouched. Another con would be that it may be too pricey for the government or organization that would start this area and make to maintain it and enforce the rules, leading to it not working.
Tundra is the coldest of all the biomes. Tundra comes from the Finnish word tunturia, meaning treeless plain. It is noted for its frost-molded landscapes, extremely low temperatures, little precipitation, poor nutrients, and short growing seasons. Dead organic material functions as a nutrient pool. The two major nutrients are nitrogen and phosphorus. Nitrogen is created by biological fixation, and phosphorus is created by precipitation. Tundra is separated into two types: arctic tundra and alpine tundra.
As a side effect, run off and water toxins have also increased. A major contributing factor to this issue of run off is the over application of fertilizers (Udawatta et al 2006). In an average crop season 50% of fertilizer loss is not uncommon. CRP buffer strips are a combination of deep rooting grass species that have the capability to hold topsoil and nutrients in place. By using a CRP buffer strip of 40 to 100 feet wide, nutrient runoff can be reduced by up to 73% (Loftus and Kraft 2003). The added benefit of incentivizing farmers adequately for this addition to their farms makes it more enticing to adopt. Farmers will be incentivized to a level of profit that is comparable to crop production in these buffer strips to help justify removing the row cropping system from these areas. Targeting the areas closest to water sources will be the initiative of the program, but will not be limited to these areas only. Adding buffer strips around areas like ditches or in field waterways that bring drainage water from distant fields to larger bodies of water will add to the effectiveness of this program (Strock et al 2010). In addition to the reduction in run off, these CRP buffer strips have added benefit in diversifying the wildlife in that area. The CRP will provide a safe pathway from habitat to habitat as well as create new homes and food sources for other wildlife in the
With the loss of infiltration that follows the removal of vegetation, there will likely be an increase in runoff around sites that have been altered for forestry or oil and gas. Vegetation is also key for the prevention of erosion, as the roots anchor the soil in place. Without vegetation the deterioration of the soil organic matter is rapid, (R. L. Baumhardt et al). The soil becomes vulnerable to erosion. This can be of considerable concern in the Athabasca watershed, where many sites that are affected by resource exploration already contain naturally occurring contaminants, such as heavy metals and polycyclic hydrocarbons, (c. Boutin & D. J. Carpenter). Without vegetation to tie up these contaminants it is likely they will be introduced
Landscape fragmentation contributes to loss of migratory corridors, loss of connectivity and natural communities, which all lead to a loss of biodiversity for a region. Conservation of biodiversity must include all levels of diversity: genetic, species, community, and landscape (CNHP 1995). Each complex level is dependent upon and linked to the other levels. In addition, humans are linked to all levels of this hierarchy. A healthy natural and human environment go hand in hand (CNHP 1995). An important step in conservation planning, in order to guarantee both a healthy natural environment as well as a healthy human environment, is recognizing the most endangered elements.
...s are considered as part of a larger watershed, the recognization of the complexity of environmental stresses can be understood. Management plans can be developed to reduce impacts to mangroves, seagrasses and the reef ecosystem, based upon accurate data and a better understanding of the system. EPA is in the process of developing guidance for a watershed approach to coral ecosystem protection.
Most people think they know a wetland when they see one, but the delineation of wetlands for the purpose of granting permits has proven enormously controversial. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), an area is defined as a wetland when a combination of three technical criteria are met: Wetland hydrology (land that is saturated within 18 inches of the surface for more than seven days per year), Hydrophytic vegetation (a list of plants that will thrive in wet areas), and Hydric soil (mucky and peat-based soil). The continual destruction of these valuable lands is due mainly to farmers, oil and mining interests, and development groups (Russel, p.36). It is estimated that 30-40% of the original wetlands in the United States have been lost, and about 300-400,000 acres are destroyed each year (Hollis, p. 36). Recent concern has led to an increase in wetland restoration and creation to reduce the impacts of activities in or near wetlands, compensate for additional losses, and to restore or replace wetlands already degraded or destroyed (Nicholas, p. 39).
Scientists have begun to say that we have to do more to protect our ecosystem, because our very existence is depending upon it. When the ecosystem is not functioning properly the continuation of plant, animal and human life ecosystems would be impossible. Life cycles can not function without ecosystems. The ecosystem provides us with clean air, water, habitats for fish and other services. They also aid in the mod...
Agriculture also leads to soil erosion, both through rainfall and wind. This soil can damage the aquatic ecosystems it ends up in, an...
One of the reasons for loss in biodiversity is alteration of habitats. A habitat is the natural environment in which a species of living organism lives. If the habitat of a species is changed, it will cause the species to die or migrate to other places where it can find its natural habitat. There are many ways in which the habitat of plants and animals can be altered. One of them is land use changes. Since the beginning of human life, human beings have been changing land use for farming. Large areas of forests have been cleared by humans to increase the area of farming to satisfy their growing needs. Many biodiversity-rich landscape characteristics have been lost due to intensive farming (Young, Richards, Fischer, Halada, Kull, Kuzniar, Tartes, Uzunov & Watt, 2007). For example, traditional farming was replaced by private farms in Europe after the First World War causing an immense change in land use patterns. Another major proble...