No description available.

No description available.

In Alberta, almost all created wetlands accepted as compensation have been naturalized stormwater management facilities. Our investigation of 32 created and natural wetlands in central Alberta determined that created wetlands have steeper shoreline slopes, largely as a result of their primary function as stormwater retention ponds. This resulted in distinctly different vegetation zonation, with the steeper slopes of created wetlands resulting in fewer, narrower wetland vegetation zones. This was reflected in reduced species richness and abundance of wetland songbirds at created wetlands. This study also discusses the development of a Floristic Quality Assessment (FQA) approach, a standardized, quantitative approach to measuring wetland condition, for Albertas Parkland and Boreal natural regions. I present plant survey data from the 32 wetlands as validation of the effectiveness of this approach. This study provides information on current wetland compensation practices and a potential wetland assessment tool; both topics that are directly relevant to the implementation of wetland compensation policies in Alberta. / Ecology

Näringsrika våtmarker i odlingslandskapet tenderar med tiden att växa igen vilket innebär förlust av biologisk mångfald. Att bekämpa igenväxning och föryngra den ekologiska successionen genom våtmarksrestaurering är ett sätt att få tillbaka fågellivet i våtmarker. Kvismarens naturreservat har restaurerats vid flera tillfällen och Kvismare fågelstation har inventerat fågellivet sedan 60-talet till idag. Hur har art- & individrikedomen bland häckande våtmarksfåglar förändrats i takt med att restaureringar i Kvismaren utförts? Sex restaureringar har valts ut som studieobjekt. För dessa sex restaureringar sammantaget uppvisas en tydligt ökande trend för både antal häckande arter och antal häckande par men utan statistisk signifikans. Vissa enskilda restaureringar uppvisar en signifikant ökning av både antal häckande arter och par (t.ex. Fågelsjöns restaurering 1986). Somliga artgrupper inom våtmarksfåglar kan efter vissa restaureringar visa stort uppsving, t.ex. vadare (Charadrii) som ökade med 464% efter Rysjöns restaurering 1997. Om målet med en restaurering är att öka biodiversiteten av häckande våtmarksfåglar föreslår min data att förvaltare bör satsa mer resurser på s.k. totalrestaureringar (t.ex. Rysjön 1981 & Sörbysjön 2013) hellre än s.k. nyrestaureringar. Vid en jämförelse av våtmarksinventering för Kvismarens totala yta med 40 års mellanrum (1980 & 2020) påvisas en ökning med 4 fler häckande våtmarksarter och 1 039 fler häckande par. Resultaten tyder på att restaureringar i Kvismarens våtmarker under 40 år har lönat sig, i synnerhet tack vare totalrestaureringar. / Nutrient-rich wetlands in agricultural landscape tend to become overgrown over time which means loss of biodiversity. Combating overgrowth and rejuvenating ecological succession through wetland restoration is an approach to get bird life back in wetlands. Wetlands in Kvismaren’s nature reserve, central Sweden, has been restored on several occasions and Kvismare Bird Observatory has inventoried bird life since the ‘60s until today. How has species & individual richness among breeding wetland birds changed as various wetland restorations in Kvismaren have been carried out? Six restorations in four sub-areas in Kvismaren have been selected as study objects. For these six restorations combined, a clearly increasing trend is shown for both the number of breeding species and pairs, but without statistical significance. Some restorations individually, however, show a significant increase in the number of breeding species and pairs (e.g. Fågelsjön's restoration in 1986). Some species groups within wetland birds can after certain restorations show great upswing, e.g. waders (Charadrii) that went from 14 to 79 breeding pairs (+464%) after Rysjön's restoration in 1997. If the goal of a restoration is to raise the biodiversity of breeding wetland birds, my data suggests that managers should invest more resources in so-called total-restorations (e.g. Rysjön 1981 & Sörbysjön 2013) rather than so-called new-restorations. A comparison of the wetland census for Kvismaren's total area at 40-year intervals (1980 & 2020) shows an increase of 4 more breeding wetland species and 1,039 more pairs. These results show that wetland restorations in Lake Kvismaren for 40 years have paid off, especially thanks to total-restorations.

No description available.

Because of the variety of ecological and economic functions they perform, estuaries and mangrove swamps are recognised as amongst the most valuable habitats on earth. However, estuaries and related mangrove swamps are threatened by human expansion and exploitation which leads to changes in land cover change within and surrounding these sensitive ecosystems. Such land cover changes can either have desirable or undesirable effects on natural ecosystems. Examples of undesirable impacts of land cover change include soil erosion and degradation, the removal of indigenous vegetation for human development, and the pollution of water. Without an effective means of identifying, monitoring and managing land cover changes over time, these sensitive ecosystems face a bleak and uncertain future. The researcher sought to determine whether wetland bird species could be used as an effective method of monitoring the environmental health of estuaries and mangrove swamps. In particular, the research sought to determine whether analysing fluctuations in the populations of wetland bird indicator species, as evident in the CWAC Bird Census data, could assist in monitoring and assessing undesirable and desirable land cover changes within the Mgeni Estuary and Beachwood Mangrove Swamps. An examination of the archival aerial imagery of the study area for the years 1991, 1997, 2003 and 2008 provided by the University and private companies, revealed significant changes in land cover over the last two decades. The land cover changes identified represent an actual decline or increase in the suitable foraging, roosting or reproductive habitats of wetland bird indicator species within the study area. The research focused on investigating whether fluctuations in wetland bird populations can be correlated with the recorded changes in land cover over the last two decades. The research discovered a direct and comprehensive link between fluctuations in specific populations of wetland bird indicator species and the land cover changes identified within the study area over a 20 year period. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2010.

Hundreds of wetland bird species use ricelands annually in the Gulf Coast Prairie region of Louisiana and Texas. Much of the original ecosystem was transformed for rice and other crops, cattle ranching, flood control, and other human uses. Flooded production and idled ricelands provide critical foraging habitat for breeding, migrating, and wintering wetland birds. Ricelands in coastal Louisiana and Texas provide approximately 42% of the estimated habitat carrying capacity for wintering waterfowl in this region. In 2010, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico prompted enactment of the Migratory Bird Habitat Initiative (MBHI) by USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. The MBHI provided avian habitat, including flooded ricelands, inland from oil impacted areas. My objectives were to: 1) estimate and model variation in biomass of waste rice and natural seeds as potential waterfowl forage in Gulf Coast Prairie ricelands, 2) estimate and model variation in wetland bird use of ricelands, and 3) conduct sensitivity analyses of bioenergetics models by varying foraging thresholds and true metabolizable energy (TME) values. A growing season of ~270 days allows Gulf Coast rice producers to grow two rice crops (i.e., the second termed ratoon). Waste rice was greatest in production fields with harvested and standing ratoon crops, and natural seed biomass was greatest in idled fields with standing vegetation. Wetland bird species richness and waterbird abundance were greatest in shallowly flooded (1–15 cm) ricelands with sparse vertical vegetation (1–20 cm), and duck abundance was greatest in shallow–intermediately (1–30 cm) flooded ricelands with short vegetation (1–15 cm). Shallowly flooded rice fields containing harvested or standing ratoon crops, and shallowly flooded idled fields with standing vegetation provided abundant potential foods for waterfowl and waterbirds. Bioenergetics models indicated that planners in the Gulf Coast Prairie region may be underestimating riceland habitat requirements for waterfowl by 10,000 ha. Models were most sensitive to changes in seed biomass estimates, and less sensitive to changes in foraging thresholds and TME values. Collectively, these results will facilitate conservation partners to refine models for conserving habitats for waterfowl and other waterbirds in the Gulf Coast Prairie.

Genom en kombinerad linjetaxering och revirkartering av nyanlagd våtmark i Stjärnarpsdalen utanför Halmstad under april-juni 2018 har jag undersökt artsammansättning, antal individer och par samt häckningskriteria hos fågelarter på plats. En jämförelse har gjorts med fem andra våtmarker i Halland i fråga om artsammansättning och häckninggskriteria för att undersöka om ålder eller storlek hos våtmarker har en effekt på dessa. Efter flertalet besök i Stjärnarp observerades totalt 55 arter varav 31 nyttjade våtmarken för antingen häckning, födosök eller rastade. Totalt 19 arter visade tecken på häckning inom våtmarkens gränser, varav endast fem arter slutligen fick ut avkomma. Hos samtliga undersökta våtmarker varierade antal arter mer under 2018, när de var av olika ålder, jämfört med när de alla var ungefär ett år gamla. Jag fann inga signifikanta korrelationer, beroenden eller skillnader mellan undersökta variabler, med undantag för signifikant korrelation och beroende mellan antal möjliga häckningar och area hos våtmarker. Enligt flera källor kan våtmarkers egenskaper och utformning ha stor betydelse för fåglars förekomst, t ex våtmarkens storlek, ålder, vattendjup, skötsel, placering, närvaro av fisk och mycket mer. I denna studie har Stjärnarp visats hysa arter som bl a häckar, och flera dessa arter indikerar på egenskaper som tidig succession, näringsrikt vatten, öppna strandängar och mer. Beroende på vad för fåglar och annan biologisk mångfald man vill gynna här i framtiden är planering och kontinuerligt uppföljningsarbete viktigt för att se om och hur fågelfaunan förändras samt vad det kan bero på. / By doing a transect inventory combined with territory mapping at a recently constructed wetland in the area of Stjärnarp outside of Halmstad, during April-June in 2018, I have investigated species composition, species abundance and reproductive criteria shown by the bird species in the area. A comparison was made with five other wetlands in the county of Halland in matter of species composition and reproductive criteria to overlook if the age or area of the wetlands have an impact. After several visits in Stjärnarp, a total of 55 species of birds were recorded, of which 31 species were using the wetland area for reproduction, foraging or resting. Among all examined wetlands species richness varied more during 2018, when of different ages, compared to when they were about one year old. Overall analysis wasn’t significant for correlations, regressions or differences between the investigated variables of this study, though there were a significant correlation and regression between the amount of possibly reproductive species and the area of wetlands. According to others, characteristics of wetlands can have great impact on the presence of birds, e.g. size and age of wetlands, water depth, maintenance, location, presence of fish and more. According to this study, several reproductive species in particular have indicated attributes in Stjärnarp, e.g. early succession, nutrient rich waters, open meadows and more. Depending on what species or other biodiversity people which to benefit in the future, planning and continuous studies are needed here to find out if and how bird communities change with time, and to what causes. / LIFE - Goodstream