Download Free A Comprehensive Review Of Wetland Assessment Procedures Book in PDF and EPUB Free Download. You can read online A Comprehensive Review Of Wetland Assessment Procedures and write the review.

"Wetlands" has become a hot word in the current environmental debate. But what does it signify? In 1991, proposed changes in the legal definities of wetlands stirred controversy and focused attention on the scientific and economic aspects of their management. This volume explores how to define wetlands. The committee--whose members were drawn from academia, government, business, and the environmental community--builds a rational, scientific basis for delineating wetlands in the landscape and offers recommendations for further action. Wetlands also discusses the diverse hydrological and ecological functions of wetlands, and makes recommendations concerning so-called controversial areas such as permafrost wetlands, riparian ecosystems, irregularly flooded sites, and agricultural wetlands. It presents criteria for identifying wetlands and explores the problems of applying those criteria when there are seasonal changes in water levels. This comprehensive and practical volume will be of interest to environmental scientists and advocates, hydrologists, policymakers, regulators, faculty, researchers, and students of environmental studies.
Forty-two chapters by international experts from a wide range ofdisciplines make The Wetlands Handbook the essential toolfor those seeking comprehensive understanding of the subject. Adeparture from more traditional treatises, this text examinesfreshwater wetland ecosystem science from the fundamentals toissues of management and policy. Introductory chapters address the scope and significance ofwetlands globally for communities, culture and biodiversity.Subsequent sections deal with processes underpinning wetlandfunctioning, how wetlands work, their uses and values for humansand nature, their sensitivity to external impacts, and how they maybe restored. The text is illustrated by numerous examples,emphasising functional and holistic approaches to wetlandmanagement, including case studies on the wise use andrehabilitation of wetlands in farmed, urban, industrial and otherdamaged environments, highlighting the long-term benefits ofmultiple use. The Wetlands Handbook will provide aninvaluable reference for researchers, managers, policy-makers andstudents of wetland sciences.
Wetland and Stream Rapid Assessments: Development, Validation, and Application describes the scientific and environmental policy background for rapid wetland and stream assessments, how such assessment methods are developed and statistically verified, and how they can be used in environmental decision-making—including wetland and stream permitting. In addition, it provides several case studies of method development and use in various parts of the world. Readers will find guidance on developing and testing such methods, along with examples of how these methods have been used in various programs across North America. Rapid wetland and stream functional assessments are becoming frequently used methods in federal, state and local environmental permitting programs in North America. Many governments are interested in developing new methods or improving existing methods for their own jurisdictions. This book provides an ideal guide to these initiatives. - Offers guidance for the use and evaluation of rapid assessments to developers and users of these methods, as well as students of wetland and stream quality - Contains contributions from sources who are successful in academia, industry and government, bringing credibility and relevance to the content - Includes a statistically-based approach to testing the validity of the rapid method, which is very important to the usefulness and defensibility of assessment methods
Wetlands perform functions that deliver benefits to society, often referred to as ecosystem services. These ecosystem services include water supply, flood regulation, water purification, climate regulation, biodiversity, agriculture (e.g. grazing land), and amenity. A functional approach to wetland assessment enables a holistic view to be taken of the wide range of services wetlands can provide. The functional assessment procedures (FAPs) in this volume translate best available scientific knowledge into reasonable predictions of how component parts of wetlands function in different landscape contexts. They can be used to indicate the potential and priorities for management options in such areas as flood control, pollution reduction and biodiversity conservation.Functional assessment enables the user to predict the functioning of a wetland area without the need for comprehensive and expensive empirical research The FAPs therefore provide a methodology that can be used by both experts and non-experts to assess wetland functioning relatively rapidly. The volume includes an electronic version of the FAPs on CD which automates aspects of the assessment once the initial recording stage is completed. It is anticipated that the FAPs will be used by a range of individuals or organisations concerned with wetland management who wish to gain a better understanding of the processes, functions, services or benefits and potential of the wetlands for which they have responsibility. - Provides a systematic methodology to evaluate how wetlands function - Allows non-experts to assess wetland functioning rapidly and cost-effectively - Automates aspects of the functional assessment through the accompanying CD-ROM
The lands and waters of the Mid-Atlantic Region (MAR) have changed significantly since before the 16th century when the Susquehannock lived in the area. Much has changed since Captain John Smith penetrated the estuaries and rivers during the early 17th century; since the surveying of the Mason-Dixon Line to settle border disputes among Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Delaware during the middle of the 18th century; and since J. Thomas Scharf described the physiographic setting of Baltimore County in the late 19th century. As early as 1881, Scharf provides us with an assessment of the condition of the aquatic ecosystems of the region, albeit in narrative form, and already changes are taking place – the conversion of forests to fields, the founding of towns and cities, and the depletion of natural resources. We have always conducted our work with the premise that “man” is part of, and not apart from, this ecosystem and landscape. This premise, and the historical changes in our landscape, provide the foundation for our overarching research question: how do human activities impact the functioning of aquatic ecosystems and the ecosystem services that they provide, and how can we optimize this relationship?
Wetlands and riparian areas between the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevada are incredibly diverse and valuable habitats. More than 80 percent of the wildlife species in this intermountain region depend on these wetlands—which account for less than 2 percent of the land area—for their survival. At the same time, the wetlands also serve the water needs of ranchers and farmers, recreationists, vacation communities, and cities. It is no exaggeration to call water the "liquid gold" of the West, and the burgeoning human demands on this scarce resource make it imperative to understand and properly manage the wetlands and riverine areas of the Intermountain West. This book offers land managers, biologists, and research scientists a state-of-the-art survey of the ecology and management practices of wetland and riparian areas in the Intermountain West. Twelve articles examine such diverse issues as laws and regulations affecting these habitats, the unique physiographic features of the region, the importance of wetlands and riparian areas to fish, wildlife, and livestock, the ecological function of these areas, their value to humans, and the methods to evaluate these habitats. The authors also address the human impacts on the land from urban and suburban development, mining, grazing, energy extraction, recreation, water diversions, and timber harvesting and suggest ways to mitigate such impacts.