Wetlands as large-scale nature-based solutions: Status and challenges for research, engineering and management

• DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoleng.2017.07.012
• Publication Date: 2017-07-19T01:32:06Z
• Authors: Josefin Thorslund; Jerker Jarsjo; Fernando Jaramillo; James W. Jawitz; Stefano Manzoni; Nandita B. Basu; Sergey R. Chalov; Matthew J. Cohen; Irena F. Creed; Romain Goldenberg; Anna Hylin; Zahra Kalantari; Antonis D. Koussis; Steve W. Lyon; Katerina Mazi; Johanna Mard; Klas Persson; Jan Pietro; Carmen Prieto; Andrew Quin; Kimberly Van Meter; Georgia Destouni
• Keywords: Provisioning; Predictability

Wetlands are often considered as nature-based solutions that can provide a multitude of services great social, economic and environmental value to humankind. Changes in land-use, water-use climate all impact wetland functions services. These changes occur at scales extending well beyond the local scale an individual wetland. However, practical applications, engineering management decisions usually focus on projects site conditions. Here, we systematically investigate if what extent research has addressed large-scale dynamics landscape systems with multiple wetlands, hereafter referred wetlandscapes, which likely be relevant for understanding impacts regional global change. Although knowledge many cases is still limited, evidence suggests aggregated effects wetlands differ considerably from observed scales. This applies provisioning ecosystem such coastal protection, biodiversity support, groundwater level soil moisture regulation, flood regulation contaminant retention. We show parallel circular flow-paths, through interconnected landscape, may largely control scale-function differences. suggest ways forward addressing mismatch between take place observations implementation currently made. suggestions help bridge gaps researchers engineers, critical improving function-effect predictability management.