Submitted by Simone Souza (simonecgsouza@hotmail.com) on 2017-11-07T13:33:04Z No. of bitstreams: 1 DISS_2014_Bárbara Fernandes Becker.pdf: 3053917 bytes, checksum: 060aed2f62884ff0f96ff9c066cf46de (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Jordan (jordanbiblio@gmail.com) on 2018-02-02T15:19:28Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 DISS_2014_Bárbara Fernandes Becker.pdf: 3053917 bytes, checksum: 060aed2f62884ff0f96ff9c066cf46de (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-02-02T15:19:28Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 DISS_2014_Bárbara Fernandes Becker.pdf: 3053917 bytes, checksum: 060aed2f62884ff0f96ff9c066cf46de (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-03-25 / CAPES / A região de Nhecolândia possui uma paisagem distinta quando comparadas às outras regiões do Pantanal, pois comporta áreas de lagoas limitadas por cordilheiras, faixas de areia, e que podem estar interligadas por vazantes. Algumas dessas lagoas possuem índices de salinidade podendo chegar até hipersalino. Acredita-se que a origem desses lagos tenha sido nos últimos cinco mil anos. Aqui, apresentam-se análises palinológicas e de geoquímica orgânica de sedimentos coletadas em duas lagoas salinas na região de Nhecolândia, MS. Os dados indicam que há 3.410 +/- 30 anos AP a vegetação em volta da lagoa foi composta por Bromeliaceae, Asteraceae, Arecaceae, Amaranthaceae e Nymphaceae. Registros de Cabomba sp. há 2.300 anos AP mostram que os índices de salinidade ainda permitiam a existência de macrófitas aquáticas dentro da lagoa. A partir de cerca de 1.200 anos AP, aumento na quantidade de COT associados a grãos que indicam florestas sazonalmente inundáveis sugerem o estabelecimento de vegetação semelhante à atual. / The region of Nhecolândia has a distinct landscape when compared to other Pantanal regions since it bears areas with ponds limited by Cordilheira forest, sand stripes and that may be connected by ebb tides. Some of these pounds have salinity indexes that may reach the hyper-salinity. It is believed that the origin of these lakes was in the last 5 thousand years. Here, it is presented palinological and organic geochemistry analysis of sediments collected at two saline pounds at the region of Nhecolância, MS. The obtained data indicate that at 3.410 years BP the vegetation surrounding the pound was composed by Bromeliaceae, Asteraceae, Arecaceae, Amarantaceae and Nymphaceae. Registers of Cabomba sp. at 2.300 years BP show that the salinity indexes still allow the existence of macrophytes inside the pound. Beyond 1.200 years BP, the increasing in the quantity of COT associated to grains that indicate seasonal floodable forests, suggest the establishing of vegetation similar to the current one.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:22:23Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2011-02-10Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T19:48:42Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 assuncao_awa_me_jabo.pdf: 2995291 bytes, checksum: 74067a6b3a92853f7bca5284c13487ca (MD5) / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) / A aquicultura é uma atividade impactante para o meio ambiente, podendo causar eutrofização de corpos hídricos, introdução de espécies exóticas, transmissão de doenças e competição pelo uso da água. Os efluentes de criações de organismos aquáticos são ricos em matéria orgânica e nutrientes, nitrogênio e fósforo, decorrente de adubação, restos de ração e excreção. A partir de um viveiro de criação de pacu “Piaractus mesopotamicus” foi avaliado o impacto ambiental causado pela criação, a presença de organismos indicadores de contaminação fecal (Escherichia coli), e avaliada a eficiência de um sistema de tratamento tipo wetland construída utilizando três espécies de macrófitas aquáticas de tipos ecológicos diferentes: Eichhornia crassipes (flutuante), Ceratophyllum demersum(submersa) e Typha dominigensis (emersa). As variáveis analisadas foram temperatura, oxigênio dissolvido, condutividade elétrica, alcalinidade, dureza total, demanda química e bioquímica de oxigênio (DQO e DBO), nitrogênio (total, amoniacal, nitrito e nitrato), fósforo (total e ortofosfato) e o NMP de Escherichia coli, como ferramenta de análise foi aplicada uma análise multivariada de fatores. Os resultados demonstraram que a criação de pacu apresentou impacto ambiental significativo na qualidade da água do efluente do viveiro, gerando elevação da concentração de fósforo total, nitrogênio total e material particulado suspenso, aumento nos níveis de turbidez e demanda bioquímica e química de oxigênio. O sistema de tratamento foi eficiente no tratamento do efluente e todas as etapas do tratamento foram significativas para a remoção das variáveis relacionadas com o impacto ambiental. Todas as amostras apresentaram número mais provável de Escherichia coli dentro dos limites estabelecidos pela legislação brasileira / Aquaculture is responsible for various types of environmental impacts, causing eutrophication of water bodies, introduction of exotic species, disease transmission and competition for water use. The effluents from aquatic organisms breeding are rich in organic matter and nutrients, nitrogen and phosphorus, due to fertilization, food leftovers and excretion. From a pacu Piaractus mesopotamicus breeding pond was evaluated the environmental impact in the water, the presence of fecal indicator organisms (Escherichia coli) and evaluated the effluent treatment by a constructed wetland using three species aquatic macrophytes of different ecological types: Eichhornia crassipes (floating), Ceratophyllum demersum (submerged) and Typha dominigensis (onshore). The analyzed variables were temperature, dissolved oxygen, conductivity, alkalinity, total hardness, chemical demand and biochemical oxygen demand (COD and BOD), nitrogen (total, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate) and phosphorus (total and orthophosphate), for data analysis was applied a multivariate factor analysis. The results demonstrated that the pacu breeding showed significant environmental impact on water quality of the effluent, causing elevation of total phosphorus, total nitrogen and suspended particulate material, an increase in turbidity and chemical and biochemical oxygen demand. The treatment system was effective in the treatment of effluent and all stages of treatment were significant for the removal of variables related to environmental impact. The most probable number of E. coli was in accordance with Brazilian law in all samples

Programa de Apoio Técnico às Atividades de Ensino, Pesquisa e Extensão / Uma das dificuldades a ser enfrentada na implantação de aterros sanitários é o tratamento adequado do lixiviado gerado e seu lançamento no meio ambiente dentro dos padrões estabelecidos pela legislação. O potencial poluidor do lixiviado está ligado principalmente aos altos valores de carga orgânica que promove a redução do oxigênio disponível (utilizado na degradação da matéria orgânica) em cursos dágua, prejudicando a fauna e a flora nesses meios. O objetivo do presente trabalho foi avaliar o sistema de tratamento por wetland construído como unidade de polimento do efluente secundário de uma estação de tratamento de lixiviado de aterro de resíduos sólidos urbanos na Região Metropolitana do Rio de Janeiro. Além dos parâmetros coletivos específicos e não específicos, também foram empregados o fracionamento pelo processo de separação por membranas e ensaios de toxicidade aguda. Os resultados mostram que o wetland tem uma ação positiva como unidade de polimento refletida na redução dos parâmetros turbidez (84%), DQO (19%), amônia (30%) e sólidos totais (3%) reduzindo, assim, os impactos ambientais do lançamento do lixiviado. Contudo, a qualidade do efluente final encontra-se acima dos parâmetros de referência de controle ambiental e mostra a necessidade de um efluente secundário de melhor qualidade. Os resultados mostraram também que altos valores de DQO inerte tanto no afluente (85% em média) quanto no efluente (93,5% em média) do wetland indicam que esses lixiviados apresentam natureza refratária confirmada pelos baixos valores de biodegradabilidade no afluente (20,5% em média) e no efluente (5% em média) do wetland. O fracionamento com membranas mostrou que o afluente e o efluente do wetland possuem maiores contribuições de moléculas na fração >1 kDa. Os ensaios de toxicidade com Aliivibrio fischeri mostraram que o afluente e o efluente do wetland possuem toxicidade aguda, sendo a mesma menor na faixa com moléculas menores. / One of the challenges in the implementation of landfills is to treat the leachate generated adequately and release it into the environment within the standards established by law. The pollution potential of the leachate is connected mainly to the high organic load values which leads to reduction the available oxygen (used in the degradation of organic matter) into waterways, damaging the fauna and flora in the media. The objective of this study was to evaluate the constructed wetland as a polishing treatment system for a secondary effluent of a leachate treatment plant of municipal solid waste landfill in the metropolitan area of Rio de Janeiro. Above the specific and non-specific collective parameters also were performed a fractionation membrane separation process and testing toxicity. The results show that the wetland has a positive action as polishing unit reflected in the reduction of turbidity parameters (84%), COD (19%), ammonia (30%) and total solids (3%), reducing the environmental impacts of the leachate. However, the quality of the final effluent is in above the benchmarks of environmental control and shows the need for a secondary effluent of better quality. The results also showed that high inert COD values of both the influent (average of 85%) and in the effluent (average of 93,5%) of wetland indicate that these leachates are refractory nature confirmed by low biodegradability values in the influent (average of 20,5%) and effluent (average of 5%) of wetland. The fractionation membranes showed that the influent and effluent wetland have larger contributions molecules in the fraction> 10 kDa. The toxicity tests with Aliivibrio fischeri showed that the influent and effluent of the wetland have acute toxicity, which were lower in the range with smaller molecules.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T15:03:27Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 JulianaNB_DISSERT.pdf: 2108811 bytes, checksum: 64901769c8cad295e07db6f5d00d5314 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-09-22 / Coordena??o de Aperfei?oamento de Pessoal de N?vel Superior / Wetlands systems are considered nowadays as a treatment method that uses simple, easy operation and low cost technology, which has been used in various parts of the world and also in Brazil. Used alone or as a complement to other types of treatment systems, once it effectively removes nutrients, pathogens and other pollutants in the water. Due to the high complexity found in wetlands, making it difficult to predict the response of the system to treat wastewater, one should consider as ideal to base the sizing of the wetland system over the necessary removal of this parameter instead of scaling it from empiricism. The study was conducted to determine the coefficient of bacterial decrease in the Wetland unit located at Ponta Negra Station Sewage Treatment, located in Natal, the coastal region of Rio Grande do Norte. The most representative model to determine the bacterial decrease in this system was the one from Chick for hydraulic piston system. Kb of 0.37 d-1 were found for the flow rate of 15m?/d, while for the system operating at maximum design flow, 30m?/d, the Kb of 0.98 d-1 was found / Os sistemas Wetlands -alagados constru?dos- s?o considerados atualmente como um m?todo de tratamento que utiliza tecnologia simples, de f?cil opera??o e custo baixo, que tem sido utilizado em v?rias partes do mundo, bem como no Brasil. Utilizado isoladamente ou como complemento de outros tipos de sistemas de tratamento, uma vez que remove eficientemente nutrientes, outros poluentes e pat?genos presentes na ?gua. Devido ? alta complexidade encontrada nos alagados constru?dos, dificultando a previs?o da resposta do sistema ao tratar efluentes, deve-se considerar como ideal basear o dimensionamento do sistema wetland em rela??o a necess?ria remo??o deste par?metro ao inv?s de dimension?-lo a partir de empirismo. Foi realizado o estudo para a determina??o do coeficiente de decaimento bacteriano na unidade Wetland localizada na Esta??o de Tratamento de Esgotos Ponta Negra, situado na cidade de Natal, regi?o litor?nea do Estado do Rio Grande do Norte. O modelo mais representativo para determinar o decaimento bacteriano neste sistema foi o de Chick para regime hidr?ulico em pist?o. Foram encontrados Kb de 0,37 d-1 para vaz?o 15m?/d. J? para o sistema funcionando a vaz?o m?xima de projeto, 30m?/d, obteve-se o Kb de 0,98 d-1

The Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality (NMBM) is a semi-arid area along the southern coastline of South Africa (SA). Until recently, there was no systematic approach to research on wetland systems in the NMBM. The systematic identification of wetlands was made more difficult by the relatively large number of small, ephemeral systems that can be difficult to delineate. This has meant that fundamental knowledge on wetland distribution, structure and function has been limited and, consequently, management and conservation strategies have been based on knowledge on systems from other regions of the country. Environmental processes occur at different spatial and temporal scales. These processes have an effect on the abiotic factors and biotic structure of wetlands, resulting in inherently complex systems. The location of the NMBM provides a good study area to research some of these environmental and biological attributes at different spatial scales, due to the variability in the underlying geology, geomorphology, vegetation types and the spatial and temporal variability in rainfall, within a relatively small area of 1951 km2. Thus, the aim of this study was to determine the factors influencing wetland distribution, structure and ecosystem functioning within the NMBM. The first Research Objective of work presented here was to identify wetlands using visual interpretation of aerial photographs. A total of 1712 wetlands were identified within the NMBM using aerial photographs, covering an area of 17.88 km2 (Chapter 5). The majority of these wetlands were depressions, seeps and wetland flats. Valley bottom wetlands (channelled and unchannelled) and floodplain wetlands were also identified. A range of wetland sizes was recorded, with 86% of the wetlands being less than 1 ha in size and the largest natural wetland being a floodplain wetland of 57 ha, located south of the Swartkops River. The identified wetlands were used to create a wetland occurrence model using logistic regression (LR) techniques (Chapter 5), in accordance with Objective 2 of the study. An accuracy of 66% was obtained, which was considered acceptable for a semi-arid climate with a relatively high degree of spatial and temporal rainfall variability. The model also highlighted several key environmental variables that are associated with wetland occurrence and distribution at various spatial scales. Some of the important variables included precipitation, evapotranspiration, temperature, flow accumulation and groundwater occurrence. Wetland distribution patterns were described in Chapter 6. Spatial statistics were used to identify whether wetlands are clustered and, therefore, form mosaics within the surrounding landscape (Objective 3). Systems were found to be highly clustered, with 43% of wetlands located within 200 m of another system. Clustering and wetland presence was especially prominent in the southern portion of the Municipality, which is also associated with a higher mean annual precipitation. Smaller wetlands were also significantly more clustered than larger systems (Average Nearest Neighbour statistic, p-value < 0.0001). Average distances also significantly varied according to HGM type, with depressions being the most geographically isolated wetland type compared to the other HGM types. Overall, distances between wetlands indicated good proximal connectivity. Potentially vulnerable areas associated with wetland systems were identified successfully using landscape variables, in accordance with Objective 4. These variables were: land cover, slope gradient, flow accumulation, APAN evaporation, mean annual precipitation (MAP) and annual heat units. The existing Critical Biodiversity Network was also used in connection with these variables to further identify potentially vulnerable areas. The abiotic and biotic characteristics were decribed for three hydrogeomorphic (HGM) types at a total of 46 wetland sites (Chapter 7), as per Objective 5. Depressions, seeps and wetland flats were sampled across the different geological, vegetation and rainfall zones within the NMBM. The wetland sites were delineated up to Level 6 of the Classification System used in SA, and the various abiotic and biotic characteristics of these systems were defined. A total of 307 plant, 144 aquatic macroinvertebrate and 10 tadpole species were identified. Of these species, over 90 species were Eastern Cape and SA endemic species, as well as three threatened species on the IUCN Red List. Multivariate analyses (including Bray-Curtis similarity resemblance analyses, distance-based redundancy analyses, SIMPER analyses and BIOENV analysis in Primer), together with environmental data, were used to define community structure at an HGM level, in accordance with Objective 5. The importance of the spatial scale of the environmental data used to define plant and macroinvertebrate community structure was described in Chapter 7, to address Objective 6. The results showed that both broad-scale and site-level characteristics were important in distinguishing community structure within the HGM types that superseded general location, the sample timing or the stage of inundation. These results also indicated that a combination of both landscape and site-level data are important in defining the community structure in the various HGM types. Some of the important environmental variables that explained some of species assemblages were similar to those in the wetland occurrence model (Chapter 5), with some additional hydrological and soil physico-chemical parameters (e.g. soil electrical conductivity, soil pH, and surface and subsurface water nutrients). These significant variables indicate the complex, multi-scalar role of environmental attributes on wetland distribution, structure and function.

Thesis (M.Sc. (Geography)) -- University of Limpopo, 2020 / Wetland vegetation provides a variety of goods and services such as carbon sequestration, flood control, climate regulation, filtering contamination, improve and maintain water quality, ecological functioning. However, changes in land cover and uses, overgrazing and environmental changes have resulted in the transformation of the wetland ecosystem. So far, a lot of focus has been biased towards large wetlands neglecting wetlands at a local scale. Smaller wetlands continue to receive massive degradation by the surrounding communities.Therefore, this study seeks to assess and map wetland vegetation as an indicator of ecological productivity on a small scale. The Sentinel-2 MSI image was used to map wetland plant species diversity and above-ground biomass (AGB). Four key diversity indices; the Shannon Wiener (H), Simpson (D), Pielou (J), and Species richness (S) were used to measure species diversity. A multilinear regression technique was applied to establish the relationship between remotely sensed data and diversity indices and AGB. The results indicated that Simpson (D) has a high relationship with combined vegetation indices and spectral band, yielding the highest accuracy when compared to other diversity indices. For example, an R² of 0.75, and the RMSE of 0.08 and AIC of -191.6 were observed. Further, vegetation AGB was estimated with high accuracy of an R² of 0.65, the RMSE 29.02, and AIC of 280.21. These results indicate that Maungani wetland has high species abundance largely dominated by one species (Cyperus latifidius) and highly productive. The findings of this work underscore the relevance of remotely sensed to estimate and monitor wetland plant species diversity with high accuracy.

Wetlands are commonly known for providing a number of key functions. In the context of Swedish agricultural landscapes, the ability of wetlands to enhance nutrient retention and provide habitats for biodiversity has long been recognized. Nevertheless, many wetlands in Sweden have been lost or damaged due to drainage activities, and there is a need for scaling up the implementation of wetlands. The possibilities to reach wetland implementation goals in Sweden highly depend on voluntary participation by farmers and landowners. In order to enable and encourage landowners and managers to create and manage wetlands, the access to information, support and advice is considered to be vital. One way to provide support is through farm advisory services, such as the project ‘Greppa Näringen’ (GN) in Sweden, in which advice on, among other things, wetland creation and maintenance is offered. However, to date there is relatively little research on how such advisory systems work in practice and what potential barriers there are to their success. This thesis aims at investigating how wetland advisors perceive their role in enabling and encouraging landowners in wetland implementation. It also aims at revealing what barriers the advisors experience and what potential improvements they believe are necessary in order to aid them in their mission and, in turn, promote wetland implementation. This is achieved by conducting semi-structured interviews with 14 wetland advisors within GN. The findings are then analyzed in relation to ideas on knowledge, motivation, dialogue, mutual learning and trust, which previous scholars have identified as key components in the interaction between advisors and farmers. The results show that the wetland advisors draw and refine their knowledge from an array of sources, such as written articles and reports, interaction with other stakeholders, and personal experience of wetland creation and maintenance. Moreover, in their mission to enable and encourage landowners and managers in wetland creation and management, the wetland advisors are required to consider a number of aspects, including landowners’ interests, opportunities for financial support, and environmental conditions. The establishment of relationships between advisors and landowners is of utmost importance, in which dialogue, respect, mutual learning and trust are key components. Furthermore, the study reveals a number of barriers and potential improvements. These regard the need for a longer support-chain, less complex and more reliable systems for financial support, more coherent administrative processing of notifications and permits, and more knowledge and experience on handling opposing interests. It is also vital to further acknowledge wetland functions beyond the current focus on nutrient retention in both financial support systems, research and focus areas within the advisory system of GN, and, finally, to further communicate the opportunity to receive wetland advice both within and beyond GN. This could aid advisors in their mission to transfer knowledge to landowners as well as heighten the quality of the advisory visits, and in turn motivate more landowners and farmers to participate in the implementation of long-term sustainable wetlands in Sweden.

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- &amp; 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 &amp; Sörbysjön 2013) hellre än s.k. nyrestaureringar. Vid en jämförelse av våtmarksinventering för Kvismarens totala yta med 40 års mellanrum (1980 &amp; 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 &amp; 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 &amp; Sörbysjön 2013) rather than so-called new-restorations. A comparison of the wetland census for Kvismaren's total area at 40-year intervals (1980 &amp; 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.

Arctic tundra wetlands support abundant waterbirds, but invertebrate prey communities may change with climate warming. Increased influx of nutrients and labile dissolved organic matter (DOM) from thawing permafrost may alter the relative importance of organic matter (OM) sources, with associated changes in relative biomass of taxa dependent on different sources. In six wetland types, we used stable isotopes (δ13C, δ15N) to compare contributions of four OM sources (periphytic microalgae, cyanobacteria, macrophytes, and peat) to the diets of nine macroinvertebrate taxa. Relative OM contributions within invertebrate taxa were similar among wetland types. Cyanobacteria comprised only 2–7% of OM sources for all taxa in shallow wetland types (<1 m), but up to 25% for oligochaetes and Physidae in deeper wetlands. Macrophytes were minor OM sources (<13%) in all wetland types except deep open lakes (21–26%). Peat typically comprised 20–40% of OM sources except for Physidae (mostly 50–80%). Microalgae were the dominant OM source for most taxa (47–78%, mean ⁓60%), although less for Oligochaeta and much less for Physidae (9–32%). High periphyton production with very depleted δ13C values likely results from continuous daylight illuminating shallow depths, high N and P levels, and very high pCO2 derived from bacterial respiration of DOM leached from thawing permafrost. Invertebrate consumption of microalgae and peat appears often to involve bacterial intermediates. Impacts of warming on invertebrate prey availability will likely depend not on shifts in OM sources, but on changes in overall area or number of shallow ponds.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / Wetlands are highly productive systems that act as habitats for a variety of flora and fauna. Despite their ecohydrological significance, wetland ecosystems are under severe threat as a result of environmental changes (e.g. the changing temperature and rainfall), as well as pressure from anthropogenic land use activities (e.g. agriculture, rural-urban development and dam construction). Such changes result in severe disturbances in the hydrology, plant species composition, spatial distribution, productivity and diversity of wetlands, as well as their ability to offer critical ecosystem goods and services. However, wetland degradation varies considerably from place to place, with severe degradation occurring particularly in developing regions, such as sub-Saharan Africa, where Land Use and Land Cover changes impact on wetland ecosystems by affecting the diversity of plant species, productivity, as well as the wetland hydrology.