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Estimation of Landscape Potential for Construction of Surface-Flow Wetlands for Wastewater Treatment in Estonia

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Abstract

The main aim of this article is to demonstrate a method of complex landscape analysis in order to estimate the landscape suitability for the construction of surface-flow wetlands (SFW) for wastewater treatment. This is a multilevel suitability analysis from a more general regional (landscape) assessment based on a map of landscape types (1:100,000) toward a detailed analysis based on aerial orthophotos and detailed soil maps (1:10,000). The assessment scheme consists of landscape classification according to the physical–chemical properties of landscape factors (soil conditions, landforms, hydrogeology, expert decisions concerning landscape values, and suitability analysis). The partial suitability values of SFWs are derived by summarizing expert values for landscape factors (each ranging from −1 to +1). By multiplying the summarized partial suitability values with nature protection values (ranging from 0 to 1), we obtain the final suitability value for each landscape type. Any kind of nature protection area has been considered nonsuitable and excluded at regional-level analysis. The results of the regional analysis demonstrate that suitability is distributed relatively equally over the study area. The high suitability potential (classified as “very suitable”) is relatively evenly distributed in lowland regions throughout the country. The share of “very suitable” and “suitable” areas in different counties varies from 5 to 23% and 7 to 49%, respectively. The detailed analysis based on aerial orthophotos showed that areas suitable for SFWs can also be found within the areas determined to be unsuitable based on the less detailed map of landscape types, whereas differences are much greater between settlements chosen for the detailed suitability analysis.

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Acknowledgments

This article was supported by Target Funding Projects No. 0182534s03 of the Ministry of Education and Science, Estonia, and Estonian Science Foundation grant No. 6083. We thank Dr. Arno Kanal and Dr. Ain Kull from the Institute of Geography of the University of Tartu, Estonia, for their valuable comments on soil type classification and suitability analysis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Tartu, Institute of Geography, Vanemuise Street 46, 51014, Tartu, Estonia

    Merje Lesta

  2. Centre for Ecological Engineering, Fr. Tuglase 1 (6), 51014, Tartu, Estonia

    Tõnu Mauring

  3. University of Tartu, Institute of Geography, Vanemuise Street 46, 51014, Tartu, Estonia

    Ülo Mander

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  1. Merje Lesta
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  2. Tõnu Mauring
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Correspondence to Merje Lesta.

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Lesta, M., Mauring, T. & Mander, Ü. Estimation of Landscape Potential for Construction of Surface-Flow Wetlands for Wastewater Treatment in Estonia. Environmental Management 40, 303–313 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-005-0278-z

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