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An Ecological Integrity Index for Littoral Wetlands in Agricultural Catchments of Semiarid Mediterranean Regions

Environmental Management volume 33, pages 412–430 (2004)Cite this article

Abstract

The main goal of the present study was to develop an ecological integrity index for littoral wetland management and conservation in semiarid Mediterranean areas that have been highly impacted by agriculture, including the selection of pressure and state indicators at landscape and wetlands scales that reflect the status, condition, and trends of wetlands ecosystems. We used a causality framework based on the relationship between pressure of anthropogenic activities and the ecological state of wetlands and their catchments, integrating environmental, biologic, economic, and social issues. From the application of 51 indicators in 7 littoral wetlands in the southeastern Iberian Peninsula, we selected 12 indicators (5 at catchment scale and 7 at wetland scale) to constitute the ecological integrity index proposed. The potential nitrogen export per area at catchment scale and the potential relative nitrogen export from the area surrounding the wetlands were the best pressure single predictors of state indicators with a causal relationship with environmental meaning. Wetlands in catchments with more agriculture had less ecological integrity than those in less impacted areas. A wide riparian zone in some wetlands acts as a buffer area, diminishing the effects of intensive agriculture. The index of ecological integrity developed here has a number of essential characteristics that make it a useful tool for ecosystem managers and decision-makers. The index can be used to (1) assess and control ecological integrity, (2) diagnose probable causes of ecological impairment, (3) establish criteria for protecting and restoring wetland ecosystems, and (4) integrate catchment management.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported in part by the Consejería de Medio Ambiente, Junta de Andalucía. Comments made on an early version of the manuscript by Dr. M. M. Brinson, Dr. T. Hruby, and an anonymous reviewer have enabled us to improve the article.

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Affiliations

  1. Department of Ecology, Almería University, 04120 Almería, Spain

    Manuel Ortega

  2. Department of Ecology, Murcia University, 30100 Murcia, Spain

    Josefa Velasco, Andrés Millán & Cristina Guerrero

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  1. Manuel Ortega
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  2. Josefa Velasco
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  3. Andrés Millán
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  4. Cristina Guerrero
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Correspondence to Manuel Ortega.

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Ortega, M., Velasco, J., Millán, A. et al. An Ecological Integrity Index for Littoral Wetlands in Agricultural Catchments of Semiarid Mediterranean Regions . Environmental Management 33, 412–430 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-003-3059-6

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Keywords

  • Assessment
  • Land uses
  • Landscape diversity
  • Non-point-source pollution