Creating and Restoring Wetlands

Creating and Restoring Wetlands: From Theory to Practice describes the challenges and opportunities relating to the restoration of freshwater and estuarine wetlands in natural, agricultural, and urban environments in the coming century.

The underpinnings of restoration, driven by ecological (disturbance, dispersal, succession) theory, are described and applied to various activities (restoring hydrology, soils, and biota) that are used to improve the short- and long-term success of wetland restoration projects.

Unforeseen problems that hinder restoration efforts and solutions to these problems are discussed in this comprehensive book that contains five sections and 13 chapters that include an introduction describing the defining characteristics of wetland – hydrology, soils, biota, the role of theory in guiding wetland succession, ecosystem development following restoration, and differentiating wetland reclamation, restoration, and creation, restoration of various estuarine and freshwater wetlands, case studies of estuarine and freshwater restoration and large-scale restoration, and finally, the future of wetland restoration.

• Explicitly links ecological theory to restoration efforts in a variety of freshwater and estuarine, natural, agricultural, urban landscapes, and wetland ecosystems
• Contains case studies of small- and large-scale restoration activities ensuring relevance to individuals and organizations
• Illustrates successes as well as failures of freshwater and estuarine wetland restorations in order to learn from them
• Presents specific information on hydrology, biota, wetland succession, ecosystem development following restoration, and more

wetland scientists, restoration ecologists and practitioners (i.e., consultants) of wetland restoration.

• Acknowledgments
• Part One. Foundations
  • 1. Introduction
    • Why Restore Wetlands?
    • Fundamental Characteristics of Wetlands
    • Setting Realistic Goals
    • Theory and Practice
  • 2. Definitions
    • Introduction
    • Wetland Characteristics
    • Definitions
    • Classification Systems
    • Legal Frameworks
    • Wetland Ecosystem Services
  • 3. Ecological Theory and Restoration
    • Introduction
    • Disturbance
    • Dispersal and Colonization
    • Succession
    • Ecosystem Development
    • Biological Invasions
  • 4. Consideration of the Landscape
    • Introduction
    • Stressors of Natural, Agricultural, and Urban Landscapes
    • Wetland Functions and Placement on the Landscape
    • The Need for a Watershed Approach
    • Selecting and Prioritizing Sites for Restoration
• Part Two. Restoration of Freshwater Wetlands
  • 5. Inland Marshes
    • Introduction
    • Theory
    • Practice
  • 6. Forested Wetlands
    • Introduction
    • Theory
    • Practice
  • 7. Peatlands
    • Introduction
    • Peat—Origin, Composition, and Geographic Distribution
    • Peatland Succession
    • Theory
    • Practice
• Part Three. Restoration of Estuarine Wetlands
  • 8. Tidal Marshes
    • Introduction
    • Theory
    • Practice
  • 9. Mangroves
    • Introduction
    • Theory
    • Practice
• Part Four. From Theory to Practice
  • 10. Measuring Success
    • Introduction
    • Performance Standards
    • Trajectories of Ecosystem Development
  • 11. Case Studies
    • Introduction
    • Saline Tidal Marshes
    • Freshwater Marshes
    • Peat Bogs
    • Forested Wetlands
    • Urban Wetlands
  • 12. Restoration on a Grand Scale
    • Saline Tidal Marshes (Delaware Bay, USA)
    • Mesopotamian Marshes (Iraq)
    • Freshwater Marshes (Yellow River Delta, China)
    • Coastal Marshes (Mississippi River Delta, Louisiana)
    • Mangrove Reforestation (Mekong River Delta, Vietnam)
  • 13. Future of Wetland Restoration
    • Introduction
    • Population Growth and Global Food Demand
    • Eutrophication
    • Restoration in an Urban World
    • Climate Change
    • Wetland Restoration in the Twenty-First Century
• Index