Structural and Functional Loss in Restored Wetland Ecosystems
Wetlands, which include tropical mangroves and boreal
peatlands, are among the most valuable ecosystems in the
world because they provide critical ecosystem goods and
services, such as carbon storage, biodiversity conservation,
fish production, water purification, and erosion control. As
global change accelerates the loss of wetlands, attempts
are increasing to restore this fragile habitat and its
associated functioning. There has been no global evaluation,
however, of how effective such restoration efforts
have been. Here, we present a meta-analysis of the
biological structure (driven mostly by plant communities)
and biogeochemical functioning (driven primarily by the
storage of carbon in wetland soils) of 621 wetland sites.
Publication Date: 2012
Credits: Spanish Ministry for Innovation and Science Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology National Centre for Earth Surface Dynamics
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