Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
in particular, need to demonstrate that
carefully designed investments in wetland
conservation can make a significant
contribution to local and national economies.
3 Documenting wetland loss. Lessons learned in
assessing and analysing wetland loss in
countries such as the USA can help
geographers in other countries to identify the
critical data needed to achieve meaningful
status reports, an essential foundation for the
development of national awareness
programmes
3 Climate change. Wetland management needs to
plan for predicted trends in climate such as an
unprecedented and rapid rise in sea level and
flooding of many coastal wetland systems, the
increase frequency of droughts, and changes
in the distribution of species over large parts
of the world.
4 Population growth and pressure. Substantial effort
needs to be made in examining the impacts
of increasing human population upon
wetland resources, particularly in developing
countries, and in identifying mechanisms that
might be used to reduce these impacts.
5 Restoration and creation of wetlands. Many
countries have initiated wetland restoration
and creation programmes as a response to loss
and degradation. The scientific basis for this is
at an early stage, and research is needed to
assess both the requirements for restoration of
specific wetlands and the successes and failures
of completed projects.
and
management
and
conservation policies.
Future investments in wetland management need to
be based on the best possible understanding of the
capacity of wetland ecosystems to sustain different
forms of use and of the way in which future changes
in human population, development policy and
climate will impact upon wetland ecosystems. At the
same time, lessons from traditional systems of wetland
management have much to contribute to modern-
day management. To meet these needs, five areas of
research require special attention.
Applied geographers, with expertise in
environmental management and sensitivity to
impacts of human and physical processes, are thus
well placed to contribute to discussion and
practical implications of wetland conservation.
1 Resource analysis. The assessment of the
capacity of a wetland to sustain different uses
requires analyses of water, soil, flora and fauna,
and an understanding of problems such as
overgrazing and loss of forest resources.
Effective solutions must be based on a good
understanding of ecosystem functioning,
which of itself necessitates more collaborative
research between institutions and between
different disciplines.
2 Socio-economic studies. Wetland degradation is
often due to mismanagement by rural
communities well aware of many of the
consequences of their actions but through
factors such as poverty obliged to pursue non-
sustainable practices. Management needs to be
based on socio-economic studies that provide
an understanding of the changing rural
economy. Similarly, studies of the structures
and mechanisms through which resource use
is administered should focus on ways to
provide incentives to people to manage
resources more effectively.
GUIDE TO FURTHER READING
Finlayson, M. and Moser, M. (eds) (1991) Wetlands .
International Waterfowl and Wetlands Research
Bureau, Facts of File, Oxford/New York.
Documents the status of the world's major
wetlands through a series of well-illustrated
wetland directories.
Maltby, E. (1986) Waterlogged Wealth. Why Waste the
World's Wet Places? London: Earthscan. Although
published in the mid-1980s, this well-illustrated text
usefully describes the value of wetlands and the
threats against them in what is a very readable style.
Williams, M. (ed.) (1990) Wetlands: A Threatened
Landscape. Institute of British Geographers Special
Publication 25. Oxford: Blackwell. A
comprehensive appraisal of the world's wetlands
from both physical and human perspectives
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