Advanced Ecology Symposium
A meta-analysis comparing the efficacy of constructed and natural wetlands
Academic Level at Time of Presentation
Graduate
Major
Wildlife/Conservation Biology
Presentation Format
Poster Presentation
Abstract/Description
Due largely to anthropogenic factors such as landscape conversion for agricultural purposes, urban development, and climate change, wetlands and their associated ecological services are suffering (Chouinard et al. 2023, Daniel 2022). This continues the trend of loss of wetlands the US has experienced over the past 300 years (Chouinard et al. 2023). Given this trend, this study seeks to further investigate the efficacy of natural wetlands (NW) when compared to constructed wetlands (CW) to better inform future management practices. A literature search and analysis yielded mixed results. As some literature suggested NW’s services should hold greater valuation, more recent studies found there to be little to no difference between CW and NW service effectiveness. Regardless of effectiveness, valuation of wetland services has been found to increase as anthropogenic pressure increases.
A meta-analysis comparing the efficacy of constructed and natural wetlands
Due largely to anthropogenic factors such as landscape conversion for agricultural purposes, urban development, and climate change, wetlands and their associated ecological services are suffering (Chouinard et al. 2023, Daniel 2022). This continues the trend of loss of wetlands the US has experienced over the past 300 years (Chouinard et al. 2023). Given this trend, this study seeks to further investigate the efficacy of natural wetlands (NW) when compared to constructed wetlands (CW) to better inform future management practices. A literature search and analysis yielded mixed results. As some literature suggested NW’s services should hold greater valuation, more recent studies found there to be little to no difference between CW and NW service effectiveness. Regardless of effectiveness, valuation of wetland services has been found to increase as anthropogenic pressure increases.