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Marine and Freshwater Research Marine and Freshwater Research Society
Advances in the aquatic sciences
Marine and Freshwater Research

Marine and Freshwater Research

Volume 74 Number 3 2023

Special Issue

Commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands – Part 2

Guest Editors:
Max Finlayson
Siobhan Fennessy
Patrick Grillas
Ritesh Kumar

MF22014Coastal wetland rehabilitation first-pass prioritisation for blue carbon and associated co-benefits

Kerrylee Rogers 0000-0003-1350-4737, Kirti K. Lal, Emma F. Asbridge 0000-0001-5456-1725 and Patrick G. Dwyer 0000-0001-6099-7138
pp. 177-199

Coastal landscapes that have been drained for agriculture or other land-uses may provide additional blue carbon storage and sequestration if tides are restored. Potential blue carbon services were mapped across NSW coastal landscapes and maps identified more blue carbon opportunities in northern NSW than southern NSW. Blue carbon services above instream barriers were identified and prioritised for restoration. Restoration may be achieved using carbon market methodologies, such as Australia’s Emissions Reduction Fund, and restoration will serve to provide multiple co-benefits.


The Lake Eyre Basin is one of the world’s largest free-flowing rivers, largely unaffected by dams and river regulation. We overlayed the distribution of oil and gas production wells and infrastructure across the floodplains to assess potential impacts on the system’s freshwater ecosystems. We also examined the distribution of potential future developments, likely to be unconventional gas production, with more serious environmental impacts.

MF21332Using literature and expert knowledge to determine changes in the bird community over a century in a Turkish wetland

Dilara Arslan 0000-0002-3132-6607, Lisa Ernoul 0000-0001-8977-8553, Arnaud Béchet 0000-0002-0330-6342, Ömer Döndüren, Mehmet Siki and Thomas Galewski
pp. 220-233

Research on bird trends is useful for measuring biodiversity changes. We analysed historical trends of bird species to estimate their abundance and assess the changes in communities. We found that land-use changes shaped the local bird community, with a decline in agricultural and grassland bird species. Coastal wetland and marine birds have increased, most probably being linked to the extension of saltpans and conservation measures. This approach can be replicated to identify priorities and to improve site conservation.


The focus of the present study is on the factors contributing to the vulnerability of coastal ecosystems, taking the example of Pulicat lagoon, south-eastern India. The work presents the need to reconcile the preservation of unique ecosystem services in times of urbanisation through policy-led initiatives recognising the importance of use of nature-based solutions at the heart of the developmental activities.


Coastal bays have supported human communities for millennia. Their effective management and restoration remains a challenge, in part as a result of human impacts that occurred before scientific studies. This review examines the historical ecology of bays and the tools and techniques used to discover environmental change to support effective management and restoration.

MF22082Towards a scientific evaluation of environmental water offsetting in the Murray–Darling Basin, Australia

Kate Lyons 0000-0002-4167-2511, Jamie Pittock 0000-0001-6293-996X, Matthew J. Colloff 0000-0002-3765-0627, Yilan Yu, Eytan Rocheta and Celine Steinfeld
pp. 264-280

In the Murray–Darling Basin, Australia, policy-makers have implemented a program that attempts to use environmental water more effectively, allowing more water to be allocated for human uses. This program must be rigorously evaluated to ensure that the environmental benefits are not overstated. We provide a critique of the legislated method for evaluation, highlighting flaws and recommending improvements.


Wetlands need to be considered in their landscape context, in context of relationships that people have with them, and how societies are organised around them. This perspective highlights relational values of wetlands, most often expressed by Indigenous and local communities, where attachments to places yield understandings and responsibilities for policy. (Warning: this article contains the name of deceased Aboriginal person.)


We produced a distribution map of wetlands in Argentina (WetCarto_AR) by integrating open data sources developed by national agencies for other purposes. Wetlands are concentrated towards the north-east but patchy mostly elsewhere. Wetlands cover 13.5% of mainland Argentina, a figure greatly underestimated by global wetland datasets. Our results stress the importance of local databases to map the known extent of wetlands, to feed or validate global models, all contributing to reduce the information gap on wetland distribution in South America.

Committee on Publication Ethics

Call for Papers

We are seeking contributions for the following Special Issues. More information

Expression of Interest

We are looking for expressions of interest for the role of Editor-in-Chief, or joint Editors-in-Chief.

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