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The Management of Wetlands for Biological Diversity: Four Principles

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Modern Trends in Applied Aquatic Ecology

Abstract

There are vast areas of major kinds of wetlands: swamps, marshes, fens, and bogs (Table 2.1). Because plant and animal species, vegetation, and wetland types are so variable, it may seem difficult to treat all of these together. Far too often, one encounters specialist publications on the plants or animals of a particular bog, fen, marsh, mire, reed swamp or aquatic community; these balkanized treatments detract from the general principles involved in managing wetlands. Furthermore, because so much focus in wetland management is placed on fish and wildlife production this too often takes precedence over other ecological objectives. Large expanses of wetland vegetation are generally ignored or treated in passing as “aquatic plants.” Our objective here is to try to pull together all these disparate vegetation types, species, and physiographic types, and present four general principles necessary for managing them to maintain and enhance biological diversity.

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  1. Department of Biological Sciences, Southeastern Louisiana University, Hammond, Louisiana, 70402, USA

    Paul A. Keddy

  2. Department of Biology, University of Akron, Akron, Ohio, 44325-3908, USA

    Lauchlan H. Fraser

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    R. S. Ambasht  & Navin K. Ambasht  & 

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Keddy, P.A., Fraser, L.H. (2003). The Management of Wetlands for Biological Diversity: Four Principles. In: Ambasht, R.S., Ambasht, N.K. (eds) Modern Trends in Applied Aquatic Ecology. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-0221-0_2

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