Understanding change in the ecological character of Ramsar wetlands: perspectives from a deeper time – synthesis
P. A. Gell A E , C. M. Finlayson B C and N. C. Davidson B D
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Water Research Network, Federation University Australia, Mt Helen, Vic. 3350, Australia.
B Institute for Land, Water and Society, Charles Sturt University, Albury, NSW 2640, Australia.
C UNESCO–IHE, Institute for Water Education, Delft, The Netherlands.
D Nick Davidson Environmental, Queens House, Wigmore HR6 9UN, UK.
E Corresponding author. Email: p.gell@federation.edu.au
Marine and Freshwater Research 67(6) 869-879 https://doi.org/10.1071/MF16075
Submitted: 13 March 2016 Accepted: 28 April 2016 Published: 13 May 2016
Journal Compilation © CSIRO Publishing 2016 Open Access CC BY-NC-ND
Abstract
The Convention for Wetlands was signed in 1971 as part of a global measure to mitigate the loss and degradation of the world’s wetlands. Signatory nations nominate wetlands as internationally important and commit to maintaining their ‘ecological character’. In many cases the character that has been maintained was that occurring at the time of nomination with scant attention to the variability and change that occurs over longer periods. Palaeoclimate and palaeoecological research now reveals a diverse array of conditions in wetlands in the past and attests that any recently identified condition may be transient. The research further reveals the considerable magnitude and antiquity of the impact of people on wetlands. Hence the site description used by wetland managers would benefit from the provision of a longer-term perspective of change. The changing state of wetlands provides a dilemma for wetland managers. In response, a workshop on understanding change in wetlands was held in Queenscliff, Australia, in November 2013 to draw together perspectives of change from neo- and palaeoecological sources to enable the formulation of new pathways of assessment to better accommodate the dynamic nature of wetlands. A synthesis of the information provided at the workshop is provided in this paper.
Additional keywords: climate change, human impact, natural condition, palaeolimnology, wetland change.
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