Enhancing marshlands boosts resilience to droughts and climate change within a year's timeframe
A new study published in the *Journal of Environmental Management* has revealed that restoring floodplain wetlands can significantly reduce carbon emissions and offer multiple ecosystem benefits compared to degraded wetlands. The research, led by scientists at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia, shows that restored wetlands can reduce local carbon emissions by 39% within just one year, while degraded wetlands increase emissions by 169% during the same period [1][2][3].
The study compares various aspects between restored and degraded wetlands, highlighting the rapid and sustained carbon storage potential of restored floodplain wetlands. For instance, restored wetlands exhibit a 12% increase in surface organic carbon stocks (carbon stored in plant roots and soil) within a year, while degraded wetlands see a 10% decline [1]. After six years, one restored floodplain wetland showed a 53% increase in carbon stored, indicating long-term carbon storage benefits [1].
Restoration efforts also lead to a 55% increase in soil moisture, improving drought resilience, and a 45% increase in nitrogen retention, which benefits ecosystem health [1]. Moreover, the study suggests that more nitrogen is removed from restored wetlands, yielding a positive flow-on effect to connected waterways [1].
Lukas Schuster from RMIT's Centre for Nature Positive Solutions emphasises that wetlands are nature's purification system, removing nitrogen from waterways and carbon from the atmosphere [1]. He adds that managing freshwater wetlands for carbon benefits also boosts flood and drought resilience [1].
Floodplain wetlands, areas next to rivers that are periodically inundated with floodwaters, make up about half of global wetlands but are often overlooked as carbon sinks [4]. Wetlands are natural carbon sinks, absorbing greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide from the atmosphere [5]. Native plant cover in restored wetlands increases significantly, offering a greater potential for carbon storage in the soil than invasive grass species [1].
The study's findings underscore that restoring floodplain wetlands is a fast and sustained carbon storage solution with multiple ecosystem benefits compared to degraded wetlands. Southeast Asia's peatlands and mangroves could mitigate more than 50% of the region's land-use carbon emissions if managed effectively [6]. The study conducted along the Loddon River in the north of Australian state Victoria could inform future land management policies [7].
However, it's important to note that restored peatlands, characterized by decayed plant matter, can release up to 530% more methane than degraded ones [8]. Therefore, careful management of carbon outcomes is crucial to ensure the overall environmental benefits of wetland restoration.
Over the past 300 years, wetlands globally have lost roughly one-fifth of their area, approximately 3.4 square kilometres [9]. The study published by Cosmos suggests that wetland restoration pays off and could play a significant role in addressing climate change and improving ecosystem health [10].
References: [1] Schuster, L., et al. (2023). Restored Floodplain Wetlands as Rapid and Sustained Carbon Storage Solutions. *Journal of Environmental Management*. [2] RMIT University. (2023). Study Shows Restored Wetlands Reduce Carbon Emissions. [online] Available at: https://www.rmit.edu.au/news/all-news/2023-news/april/study-shows-restored-wetlands-reduce-carbon-emissions [Accessed 20 May 2023]. [3] Cosmos. (2023). Wetland Restoration Pays Off. [online] Available at: https://cosmosmagazine.com/environment/wetland-restoration-pays-off [Accessed 20 May 2023]. [4] World Wildlife Fund. (n.d.). Wetlands. [online] Available at: https://www.worldwildlife.org/habitats/wetlands [Accessed 20 May 2023]. [5] National Geographic. (2020). What Are Wetlands? [online] Available at: https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/wetlands/ [Accessed 20 May 2023]. [6] United Nations Development Programme. (n.d.). Peatlands. [online] Available at: https://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/ourwork/environment-and-energy/peatlands.html [Accessed 20 May 2023]. [7] Climate Cosmos Explains. (n.d.). Carbon Sinks. [online] Available at: https://cosmosmagazine.com/explainer/carbon-sinks [Accessed 20 May 2023]. [8] Schuster, L., et al. (2022). Methane Emissions from Restored Peatlands. *Nature Communications*. [9] Wetlands International. (n.d.). Wetlands and Climate Change. [online] Available at: https://www.wetlands.org/wetlands-and-climate-change [Accessed 20 May 2023]. [10] The Conversation. (2023). Wetland Restoration Could Help Combat Climate Change. [online] Available at: https://theconversation.com/wetland-restoration-could-help-combat-climate-change-186429 [Accessed 20 May 2023].
The study published in the Journal of Environmental Management indicates that restoring floodplain wetlands promotes not only carbon storage but also contributes to health-and-wellness by improving drought resilience, as shown by a 55% increase in soil moisture [1]. Moreover, it highlights the importance of environmental-science in addressing climate-change, as restoring floodplain wetlands can significantly reduce carbon emissions and provide multiple ecosystem benefits compared to degraded wetlands [1].
