Study

Tradeoffs among ecosystem services in restored wetlands

  • Published source details Jessop J., Spyreas G., Pociask G.E., Benson T.J., Ward M.P., Kent A.D. & Matthews J.W. (2015) Tradeoffs among ecosystem services in restored wetlands. Biological Conservation, 191, 341-348.

Actions

This study is summarised as evidence for the following.

Action Category

Restore/create freshwater marshes or swamps (specific action unclear)

Action Link
Marsh and Swamp Conservation
  1. Restore/create freshwater marshes or swamps (specific action unclear)

    A replicated study in 2012 of thirty wetland restoration sites in Illinois, USA (Jessop et al. 2015) reported that they developed vegetation within 7–22 years, but this was characteristic of disturbed habitats. The wetland restoration sites contained 13–755 g/m2 dry above-ground herb biomass (average: 265) and 0–1 woody stems at least 1 m tall/m2 (average: 0.3). They had 0–95% cover of non-native plants (average: 36%) and a conservatism score of 2.1–3.3 out of 10 (average: 2.7), indicating that the plant species were characteristic of fairly disturbed habitats in the study region. Methods: In summer 2012, vegetation was surveyed in 30 wetland sites, restored 7–22 years previously. Restoration involved excavating, removing drainage structures, building embankments to retain water and, in some sites, planting and/or sowing wetland plants. The precise interventions carried out in each site are not clearly reported. Of the 30 sites, 13 were marshes, 10 were swamps and seven included both marshy and swampy areas. The study does not separate results for marsh and swamp vegetation.

    (Summarised by: Nigel Taylor)

Output references
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