Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
organizations (NGOs), such as Ducks Unlimited,
Audubon, the Nature Conservancy in North
America, the Wildfowl and Wetland Trust in the
United Kingdom, and WetlandCare Australia,
among others. As this list suggests, interested
parties fall into two general categories
-
hunters
and wildlife enthusiasts, again with wildlife con-
servation and sustainable management as the
main themes. Such organizations have much in
common; they strive in various ways to main-
tain, restore and protect native habitats for wild-
life populations, so that future generations may
enjoy the benei ts of diverse wild animals thriv-
ing under natural conditions. In the case of
migrating shorebirds and waterfowl, this means
wetlands in summer and winter grounds as well
as along the l yways during spring and autumn
migrations.
These NGOs often work in close cooperation
with local and national governmental agencies
in order to complement or enhance efforts for
wetland preservation. In the United States, the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Fish
and Wildlife Service (FWS), Army Corps of Engi-
neers (ACE), and Natural Resources Conserva-
tion Service (NRCS) are major agencies involved
with wetland research, protection, and regula-
tion. North of the border, Environment Canada
is the lead national agency for various aspects
of wetlands.
Wetlands International (WI) is the main
global NGO concerned with restoring and sus-
taining wetland habitats, resources, and biodi-
versity. Headquartered in the Netherlands, WI
deals mostly with wetlands in developing
countries of South America, eastern Europe,
southern and eastern Asia, and Africa. As a
partner of Ramsar, WI has developed the
Ramsar Site Information Service, which allows
users to display map and statistical information
about any Ramsar site online (see http://
ramsar.wetlands.org/). Some WI projects high-
light difi cult situations; for example, efforts to
protect wetlands in western Africa contradict
attempts to control mosquito-borne malaria,
which is epidemic in the region and a growing
problem worldwide. West African malaria is a
complex issue involving natural wetlands, rice
agriculture, climate change, pharmacology,
Figure 1-18.
Emergent wetland vegetation growing in
shallow, muddy water of the Baía de Marajó, part of
the Amazon Delta complex, near Belém, Brazil. Photo
courtesy of K. Buchele.
economic policy, and many other aspects with
no easy solutions (Gwadz 2001; Touré 2001).
As global recognition of and support for envi-
ronmental issues has expanded during the past
half century, so has ecotourism, supported by
a growing middle class with interests ranging
from whale watching to tropical wildl owers.
Exotic adventures into Amazonia (Fig. 1-18) or
the Okavango Delta (Fig. 1-19) have brought
many more people into direct contact with
natural environments and wetlands. Govern-
ments and NGOs in developing countries recog-
nize that wetland preservation makes good
economic sense in order to gain further i nan-
cial support.
1.5 Wetland science
The scientii c study of wetlands was tradition-
ally considered to be part of biology, and this
is still often the case. Terms such as “wetland
ecology” or “mire ecology” reinforce this bio-
logical emphasis. However, wetlands are inte-
grated systems based on water, soil, climate,
vegetation and wildlife as utilized and modii ed
by human activities. Focusing mainly on biology,
thus, may overlook many other fundamental
aspects of wetlands (Fig. 1-20). Mitsch and Gos-
selink (2007) identii ed four factors that are
unique to wetland science.