Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
7.1 Introduction
Wetlands, though they cover less than 9% of the earth's land area, are critical compo-
nents of most ecosystems, providing a broad array of services including support for
biodiversity, enhancement of water quality, flood abatement, groundwater recharge
and carbon sequestration (Zedler and Kercher 2005 ). In spite of their ecological
importance, wetlands have been lost at alarming rates during the past two centuries,
principally a result of drainage for intensive agriculture, infrastructure develop-
ment and urbanization. It is estimated that barely 50% of global wetlands remain
intact, and, in some regions, the loss has been much greater. Even remaining wet-
lands are often degraded by soil erosion and invasions of exotic species. Impacts
on freshwater wetlands have been especially great (Zedler and Kercher 2005 ; Tiner
2003 ).
In recent decades, there has been substantial attention directed towards preserv-
ing, managing and restoring wetlands. These efforts have often been facilitated
by new, innovative institutional structures such as “joint ventures” designed to
marry the resources and expertise of public agencies with the interests and special-
ized knowledge of land owners, conservation organizations and other stakeholders.
Geographic information technologies (GIS, GPS and remote sensing) have become
increasingly important tools for inventory, mapping and monitoring of wetland
resources and for predictive modeling (Lyon and McCarthy 1995 ). Especially when
used in concert with the Internet, these technologies constitute a powerful means to
provide decision support for joint ventures and other enterprises that seek to improve
wetlands management.
In this chapter, we summarize the development and application of a com-
prehensive geographic information system designed for wetlands management in
the Rainwater Basin of Nebraska, a project carried out in collaboration with the
Rainwater Basin Joint Venture ( http://www.rwbjv.org /). The principal objectives of
the research were (1) to educate Rainwater Basin Joint Venture (RWBJV) partners
about GIS and its applications in wetlands management, (2) to engage RWBJV part-
ners in development of a comprehensive set of baseline geospatial data required for
management of the Rainwater Basin region and (3) to transfer the data and tech-
nology to RWBJV technical staff so that they can continue to develop and use the
GIS. All geospatial data and project results were delivered via a web site designed
to demonstrate the value of on-line data access ( http://www.calmit.unl.edu/rwb /).
7.2 Nebraska's Rainwater Basin
The Rainwater Basin (RWB), a region of approximately 6000 square miles in south-
central Nebraska, is an internationally significant staging area for migratory water
birds (Fig. 7.1 ). Located near where the Central Flyway narrows and crosses the
Platte River, each spring the RWB attracts an estimated 10 million ducks and geese,
and up to 300,000 shorebirds, to rest and feed before heading for northern breed-
ing grounds. These include nearly 90% of the mid-continental population of greater
Search WWH ::




Custom Search