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Wetland Classification: Overview

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  • First Online:
The Wetland Book

Abstract

The term “wetland” groups together a range of largely aquatic habitats that usually have a number of common features, such as the presence of specific vegetation, soils, and water regimes, including the occurrence of continuous, seasonal, or periodic standing water or saturated soils. Most approaches used around the world to classify wetlands are referred to as “classification systems”. The wetland definition and typology used by the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands is an example which includes a wider range of wetland types than included by many others. The Ramsar definition was given in the text of the Convention in 1971 and is one of several classification approaches used around the world. The evolution of wetland classification systems is outlined and a number of other classification systems currently in use around the world are briefly reviewed and discussed in this chapter.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Conservation, Science and Policy Group, Aquatic Division Unit, Private Bag 4715, Christchurch Mail Centre, 8140, Christchurch, New Zealand

    Philippe Gerbeaux

  2. Institute for Land, Water and Society, Charles Sturt University, Elizabeth Mitchell Drive, PO Box 789, 2640, Albury, New South Wales, Australia

    C. Max Finlayson

  3. Aquatic Ecosystems Group, Department of Water Science and Engineering, UNESCO-IHE, Institue for Water Education, PO Box 3015, 2601, Delft, The Netherlands

    Anne A. van Dam

  4. UNESCO-IHE, Institute for Water Education, Delft, The Netherlands

    C. Max Finlayson

Authors
  1. Philippe Gerbeaux
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  2. C. Max Finlayson
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  3. Anne A. van Dam
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Philippe Gerbeaux .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Land, Water and Society, Charles Sturt University, Albury, NSW, Australia

    C. Max Finlayson

  2. International Water Security Network, University of the West of England, Bristol, UK

    Mark Everard

  3. UNESCO-IHE, Institute for Water Education, Delft, The Netherlands

    Kenneth Irvine

  4. RM Wetlands and Environment Ltd., Littleworth, Oxfordshire, UK

    Robert J. McInnes

  5. U.S. Geological Survey, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center, Lafayette, LA, USA

    Beth A. Middleton

  6. Aquatic Ecosystems Group, Department of Water Science and Engineering, UNESCO-IHE, Institute for Water Education, Delft, The Netherlands

    Anne A. van Dam

  7. Institute for Land, Water and Society, Charles Sturt University, Albury, NSW, Australia

    Nick C. Davidson

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Gerbeaux, P., Finlayson, C.M., van Dam, A.A. (2018). Wetland Classification: Overview. In: Finlayson, C.M., et al. The Wetland Book. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-9659-3_329

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