Despite
their relative small extension, wetlands are important as sources or sinks of
C. But, due to their intermediate position between land and permanent water,
they have been modified in the name of “health” or “productivity.” Such changes
have altered substantially their ability to store/produce C greenhouse gasses
but the main point is to establish until which point this changes are
“structural” (implying the intrinsic environmental mechanisms), and therefore
unrecoverable, or “casual” (implying not the environment processes but its
“external”–not directly implied in the C storage/emission- components), and
consequently recoverable. Temperate wetlands are strongly dependant on water
availability due to their position but, on the other hand, use to be occupied
by resistant species able to survive hard conditions. The example shown below
presents a case of intense human activity on a Mediterranean wetland that has
caused very intense changes in the flooded area but not so evident and
perdurable in the main ecological relations implied in the C cycle.
Author: F. Dominguez-Castro, J.I. Santisteban, R. Mediavilla, et al (f dot dominguez at igme dot es)
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