A rapid assessment method for coupling anthropogenic stressors and wetland ecological condition

Ecological Indicators

Volumn 13, Issue 1, 2012, Pages 284-293

  Kotze, D C ^a   Ellery, W N ^b   MacFarlane, D M ^c   Jewitt, G P W ^a  

^a UNIVERSITY OF KWAZULU NATAL   (South Africa)

^b RHODES UNIVERSITY   (South Africa)

^c Eco Pulse Consulting   (South Africa)

Author keywords

Assessment; Current condition; Hydrogeomorphic approach; Index; South Africa; Trajectory of change; WET Health; Wetland ecological condition

Indexed keywords

ASSESSMENT; HYDROGEOMORPHIC APPROACHES; INDEX; SOUTH AFRICA; WET-HEALTH;

ECOSYSTEMS; HEALTH; HEURISTIC METHODS; VEGETATION; WETLANDS;

RATING;

ANTHROPOGENIC EFFECT; ECOLOGICAL IMPACT; ECOSYSTEM HEALTH; ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT; GEOMORPHOLOGY; GUIDELINE; HUMAN ACTIVITY; NATURE-SOCIETY RELATIONS; RESOURCE AVAILABILITY; SPATIAL ANALYSIS; VEGETATION STRUCTURE; WETLAND;

SOUTH AFRICA;

EID: 80053234222     PISSN: 1470160X     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolind.2011.06.023     Document Type: Article

References (68)

1. Adamus, P.R.; Clarain, E.J.; Smith, R.D.; Young, R.E.; 1987. Wetland evaluation technique (WET). Tech. Rep. T-87. US Army Corps of Engineers, Vicksburg, MS.
2. Ammann, A.P.; Stone, A.L.; 1991. Method for the comparative evaluation of nontidal wetlands in New Hampshire. NHDES-WRD-1991-3. New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services, Concord, NH.
3. J.E. Anderson A conceptual framework for evaluating and quantifying naturalness Conservation Biology 5 1991 347 352
4. A. Armstrong DITCH: a model to simulate field conditions in response to ditch levels managed for environmental aims Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 77 2000 179 192
5. J.E. Ayars, C.J. Phene, R.B. Hutmacher, K.R. Davis, R.A. Schoneman, S.S. Vail, and R.M. Mead Subsurface drip irrigation of row crops: a review of 15 years of research at the Water Management Research Laboratory Agricultural Water Management 42 1999 1 27
6. D. Baize Soil Science Analyses: A Guide to Current Use 1993 John Wiley and Sons Chichester, England
7. W. Bond Fire R.M. Cowling, D.M. Richardson, S.M. Pierce, Vegetation of Southern Africa 1997 Cambridge University Press Cambridge
8. R. Bowd, D.C. Kotze, C.D. Morris, and W. Quinn Testing the applicability of the SASS5 scoring procedure for assessing wetland health: a case study in the KwaZulu-Natal midlands African Journal of Aquatic Science 31 2006 229 246
9. M.M. Brinson, and A. Malvarez Temperate freshwater wetlands: types, status and threats Environmental Conservation 29 2002 115 133
10. Brinson, M.M.; 1993. A hydro-geomorphic classification for wetlands. Wetland Research Programme Technical Report WRP-DE-4. US Army Corps of Engineers, Waterways Experiment Station, Vicksburg, MS.
11. M.M. Brinson, and R. Rheinhardt The role of reference wetlands in functional assessment and mitigation Ecological Applications 6 1996 69 76
12. Bruwer, C.A.; Ashton, P.J.; 1989. Flow modifying structures and their impacts on lotic ecosystems. In Ferrar, A.A. (Ed.), Ecological Flow Requirements of South African Rivers. South African National Scientific Programmes Report No. 162. CSIR, FRD, Pretoria.
13. I.R. Calder Water use by forests: limits and controls Tree Physiology 18 1998 625 631
14. C.A. Cole HGM and wetland functional assessment: six degrees of separation from the data? Ecological Indicators 6 2006 485 493
15. M.A. Davis, and L.B. Slobodkin The science and values of restoration ecology Restoration Ecology 12 2004 1 3
16. G.A. De Leo, and S. Levin The multifaceted aspects of ecosystem integrity Conservation Ecology 1 1 1997 3 (online) http://www.consecol.org/vol1/iss1/art3
17. J. Dini Restoring wetlands and healing a nation: South Africa's Working for Wetlands Programme National Wetlands Newsletter 26 2004 7 10
18. P. Dye, and D. Versfeld Managing the hydrological impacts of South African plantation forests: an overview Forest Ecology and Management 251 2007 121 128
19. S.M. Dunn, and R. Mackay Modelling the hydrological impacts of open ditch drainage Journal of Hydrology 179 1996 37 66
20. Edwards, R.; 2009. The origin and evolution of Dartmoor Vlei in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands, South Africa. M.Sc. Thesis. School of Environmental Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.
21. Ellery, W.N.; Grenfell, M.C.; Grenfell, S.; Kotze, D.C.; McCarthy, T.S.; Tooth, S.; Grundling, P.-L.; Beckedahl, H.; le Maitre, D.; Ramsay, L.; 2009. WET-Origins: controls on the distribution and dynamics of wetlands in South Africa. WRC Report No. TT 334/09. Water Research Commission, Pretoria.
22. Everson, C.; Gush, M.; Moodley, M.; Jarmain, C.; Govender, M.; Dye, P.; 2007. Effective management of the riparian zone vegetation to significantly reduce the cost of catchment management and enable greater productivity of land resources. WRC Report No. 1284/1/07. Water Research Commission, Pretoria.
23. M.S. Fennessy, A.D. Jacobs, and M.E. Kentula An evaluation of rapid methods for assessing the ecological condition of wetlands Wetlands 27 2007 543 560
24. J.W. Gowing, and M. Palmer Sustainable agricultural development in sub-Saharan Africa: the case for a paradigm shift in land husbandry Soil Use and Management 24 1 2008 92 99
25. M.C. Grenfell, W.N. Ellery, and S.E. Grenfell Valley morphology and sediment cascades within a wetland system in the KwaZulu-Natal Drakensberg Foothills, Eastern South Africa Catena 78 2009 20 35
26. A. Grootjans, R. Iturraspe, A. Lanting, C. Fritz, and H. Joosten Ecohydrological features of some contrasting mires in Tierra del Fuego, Argentina Mires and Peat 6 2010 1 15 (article 01) http://www.mires-and-peat.net/
27. A.P. Grootjans, and R. Van Diggelen Hydrological dynamics III: hydro-ecology E. Maltby, T. Barker, The Wetlands Handbook 2009 Wiley/Blackwell Chichester 194 212
28. Gush, M.B.; Scott, D.F.; Jewitt, G.P.W.; Schulze, R.E.; Lumsden, T.G.; Hallowes, L.A.; Görgens, A.H.M.; 2002. Estimation of streamflow reductions resulting from commercial afforestation in South Africa. WRC Report No. TT173/02. Water Research Commission, Pretoria.
29. J. Holden, T.P. Burt, M.G. Evans, and M. Horton Impact of land drainage on peatland hydrology Journal of Environmental Quality 35 2006 1764 1778
30. Jewitt, G.P.W.; Horan, M.J.C.; Kunz, R.P. Is sugarcane a streamflow reduction activity under South African water law? Water SA, submitted for publication.
31. W.J. Junk Long-term environmental trends and the future of tropical wetlands Environmental Conservation 29 2002 414 435
32. Kotze, D.C.; 1999. A system for supporting wetland management decisions. Ph.D. Thesis. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg.
33. D.C. Kotze, C.M. Breen, and N. Quinn Wetland losses in South Africa G.I. Cowan, Wetlands of South Africa 1995 Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism Pretoria
34. R.T. Lackey Values, policy and ecosystem health Bioscience 51 2001 437 443
35. Macfarlane, D.M.; Kotze, D.C.; Ellery, W.N.; Walters, D.; Koopman, V.; Goodman, P.; Goge, M.; 2009. WET-Health: a technique for rapidly assessing wetland health. WRC Report No. TT 340/09. Water Research Commission, Pretoria.
36. J.J. Mack Developing a wetland IBI with statewide application after multiple testing iterations Ecological Indicators 7 2007 864 881
37. S.K. Mantel, D.A. Hughes, and W.J. Muller Ecological impacts of small dams on South African rivers: Part I. Drivers of change - water quantity and quality Water SA 36 2010 351 360
38. C. Marais, and J.R. Wannenburgh Restoration of water resources (natural capital) through the clearing of invasive alien plants from riparian areas in South Africa - costs and water benefits South African Journal of Botany 74 2008 526 537
39. Marneweck, G.C.; Batchelor, A.L.; 2002. Wetland classification, mapping and inventory. In: Palmer, R.W.; Turpie, J.; Marneweck, G.C.; Batchelor, A.L. (Eds.), Ecological and Economic Evaluation of Wetlands in the Upper Olifants River Catchment, South Africa. WRC Report No. 1162/1/02. Water Research Commission, Pretoria.
40. S.J. Miller, D.H. Wardrop, W.M. Mahaney, and R.P. Brooks A plant-based index of biological integrity (IBI) for headwater wetlands in central Pennsylvania Ecological Indicators 6 2006 290 312
41. Mucina, L.; Rutherford, M.C. (Eds.), 2006. The vegetation of South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland. Strelitzia 19. South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria.
42. M. Mumba, and J.R. Thompson Hydrological and ecological impacts of dams on the Kafue Flats floodplain system, southern Zambia Physics and Chemistry of the Earth 30 2005 442 447
43. T.G. O'Connor Effect of small catchment dams on downstream vegetation of a seasonal river in semi-arid African savanna Journal of Applied Ecology 38 2001 1314 1325
44. L. Patterson, and D.J. Cooper The use of hydrologic and ecological indicators for the restoration of drainage ditches and water diversions in a mountain fen, Cascade Range, California Wetlands 27 2007 290 304
45. J.S. Price, L. Rochefort, and S. Campeau Use of shallow basins to restore cutover peatlands: hydrology Restoration Ecology 10 2002 259 266
46. S.J. Ramchunder, L.E. Brown, and J. Holden Environmental effects of drainage, drain-blocking and prescribed vegetation burning in UK upland peatlands Progress in Physical Geography 33 2009 49 79
47. Riddell, E.S.; 2010. Characterisation of the hydrological processes and responses to rehabilitation of a headwater wetland of the Sand River, South Africa. Ph.D. Thesis. School of Bioresources Engineering and Environmental Hydrology, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg.
48. K.H. Rogers Freshwater wetlands R.M. Cowling, D.M. Richardson, S.M. Pierce, Vegetation of Southern Africa 1997 Cambridge University Press Cambridge
49. Royappen, M.; Dye, P. J.; Schulze, R. E.; Gush, M.; 2002. An analysis of catchment attributes and hydrological response characteristics in a range of small catchments. WRC Report No.1193/1/02.
50. Schulze, R.E.; 1995. Hydrology and agrohydrology: a text to accompany the ACRU 3.00 Agrohydrological modelling system. Report TT69/95. Water Research Commission, Pretoria, RSA.
51. D.F. Scott On the hydrology of industrial timber plantations Hydrological Processes 19 2005 4203 4206
52. D.F. Scott, D.C. Le Maitre, and D.H.K. Fairbanks Forestry and streamflow reductions in South Africa: a reference system for assessing extent and distribution Water SA 24 1998 187 199
53. D.F. Scott, and W. Lesch Streamflow responses to afforestation with Eucalyptus grandis and Pinus patula and to felling in the Mokobulaan experimental catchments, Mpumalanga Province, South Africa Journal of Hydrology 199 1997 360 377
54. Scott, D.F.; Prinsloo, F.W.; Moses, G.; Mehlomakulu, M.; Simmers, A.D.A.; 2000. A re-analysis of the South African catchment afforestation experimental data. WRC Report No. 810/1/00. Water Research Commission, Pretoria.
55. Skaggs, R.W.; 1980. A water management model for artificially drained soils. Technical Bulletin No. 267. North Carolina Agricultural Research Service, NC State University, Raleigh.
56. R.E. Smith, and D.F. Scott The effects of afforestation on low flows in various regions of South Africa Water SA 18 3 1992 185 194
57. R. Stirzaker, H. Biggs, D. Roux, and P. Cilliers Requisite simplicities to help negotiate complex problems Ambio 39 2010 600 607
58. Tiner, R.W.; Veneman, P.L.M.; 1988. Hydric soils of New England. Revised bulleting C-183-R. University of Massachusetts Cooperative Extension, Amherst, MA.
59. S. Tooth, and T.S. McCarthy Wetlands in drylands: geomorphological and sedimentological characteristics, with emphasis on examples from southern Africa Progress in Physical Geography 30 2007 1 39
60. S. Tooth, T.S. McCarthy, D. Brandt, P.J. Hancox, and R. Morris Geological controls on the formation of alluvial meanders and floodplain wetlands: the example of the Klip River, Eastern Free State, South Africa Earth Surface Processes and Landforms 27 2002 797 815
61. D.L. Tucker, and M.A. Acreman Modelling ditch water levels on the Pevensey Levels Wetland, a Lowland Wet Grassland Wetland in East Sussex, UK Physics and Chemistry of the Earth 25 2000 593 597
62. U.S. EPA, 2002. Methods for evaluating wetland condition: developing an invertebrate index of biological integrity for wetlands. EPA-822-R-02-019. Office of Water, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC.
63. U.S. EPA, 2002. Methods for evaluating wetland condition: using vegetation to assess environmental conditions in wetlands. EPA-822-R-02-020. Office of Water, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC.
64. U.S. EPA, 2002. Methods for evaluating wetland condition: using algae to assess environmental conditions in wetlands. EPA-822-R-02-021. Office of Water, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC.
65. W.S. Van Lill, F.J. Kruger, and D.B. van Wyk The effect of afforestation with Eucalyptus grandis Hill ex Maiden and Pinus patula Schlecht et. Cham. on streamflow from experimental catchments at Mokobulaan. Transvaal Journal of Hydrology 48 1980 107 118
66. D.J. Walters, D.C. Kotze, and T.G. O'Connor Impact of land use on community organization and ecosystem functioning of wetlands in the southern Drakensberg mountains, South Africa Wetlands Ecology and Management 14 2006 329 348
67. D.H. Wardrop, M.E. Kentula, S.F. Jensen, D.L. Stevens, and K.C. Hychka Assessment of wetlands in the upper Juniata watershed in Pennsylvania, USA using the hydrogeomorphic approach Wetlands 27 2007 432 445
68. D.A. Waterman A Guide to Expert Systems 1986 Addison-Wesley California