The NRA's role in wetland conservation

This is the NRA's role in wetland conservation report produced by the National Rivers Authority in 1995. This document is the third of a series of three R&D Notes produced as part of an integrated research programme addressing aspects of the NRA's role in wetland management and conservation. Chapter 1 considers the nature of the wetland resource and its definition. Chapter 2 presents the NRA's current legislative and policy framework relating to its role in wetland conservation. National and international legislation and agreements are considered, and particular attention is afforded to the potential implications of the 'Habitats Directive'. Chapter 4 presents key examples of operational casework involving wetlands. Differences in approach and external perceptions of the NRA's current and likely future role in wetland conservation are discussed within Chapter 5. Other issues highlighted in this report are: policy guidance required on NRA’s role in land drainage; standard of flood defence service for wetlands; cost-benefit analysis; strategies for halting and reversing the decline and degradation of wetland resource; and Catchment Management Planning.

How to plan and implement an environmental education program for a conservation area : lessons from Australia and Borneo

The Augo Wetland Forest Park, along with other conservation areas around the world, provides an opportunity for a personal connection with the natural world - an opportunity for creating ways to convince people to reverse the degradation of the planet. In this presentation I use the settings approach, as used by the World Health Organisation in health promotion, as a framework. The WHO’s 1986 Ottawa Charter states that "Health is created and lived by people within the settings of their everyday life; where they learn, work, play, and love." I argue that, similarly, a conservation area provides a setting for people to connect with environmental issues and can be the place where positive behaviours and actions for the environment are created and enacted. In a wired and virtual world, such settings may be the only opportunity some people, especially children, get to connect with the environment. An evidence-based, intentionally designed and implemented environmental education program enhances the opportunities for the personal connection and subsequent action. Planning and implementing an Environmental education program for a conservation area requires an understanding of the principles of three domains: • Environmental Communication • Environmental Education • Environmental Interpretation In this presentation I define these domains and demonstrate how they become interdependent within the context of a particular setting such as a conservation area. I outline the principles of each domain and demonstrate how they can be enacted with reference to environmental education program case studies from settings in Australia and Borneo. The first case study is based around a proposal for a planned residential community at Eden’s Crossing, in Brisbane’s high growth Western corridor. The setting featured a number of important natural and heritage conservation characteristics and the developer wanted to be pro-active in informing the market what this development aims to achieve in terms of innovative community and environmental objectives. By designing an education and interpretation program in line with best practice education and interpretation principles the developers would be assisted in their efforts to build community, preserve heritage, and facilitate environmentally sensitive lifestyles for the future residents of Eden’s Crossing. Above all, the strategy focused on advancing sustainability in a way that made the Eden’s Crossing greenfield development significantly greener. It did this by interacting with prospective purchasers, and building knowledge about sustainability with a view to shaping the future community of Eden’s Crossing in terms of attitudes and behaviours. The second case study is based around the development of the Rainforest Interpretation Centre (RIC), now renamed the Rainforest Discovery Centre, an environmental education facility managed by the Sabah Forestry Department (SFD) and located at the edge of the Kabili-Sepilok Forest Reserve in the East Malaysian state of Sabah (Borneo). This setting is of paramount importance for biodiversity conservation and research and a vital habitat for orang utan. As an Environmental Education Consultant I was tasked with developing an environmental education program for this setting as part of the SFD’s long- term strategy towards sustainable forest management. By employing the principles of Environmental Education and Environmental Interpretation I designed and implemented a program with three major components: • an environmental education component for visiting primary and secondary school groups. • an environmental education component for in-service and pre-service teachers and teacher educators. • a public awareness and environmental interpretation component which caters for the general public and tourists. From these modest beginnings the program has expanded and new facilities have been developed to meet the demands of visitors, teachers and students. The effectiveness of the program can be traced back to the grounding in the principles of best practice environmental education, communication and interpretation.

Waterfowl decline in the Mississippi Flyway [microform] : hearing before the Subcommittee on Fisheries and Wildlife Conservation and the Environment of the Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries, House of Representatives, One Hundredth Congress, second session, on the decline of waterfowl in the Mississippi Flyway and the loss of wintering habitat in the Mississippi Flood Plain, September 22, 1988.

"Serial no. 100-91."

National Wetland Mitigation Banking Study : an examination of wetland programs : opportunities for compensatory mitigation /

"March 1994."

Assessment of created wetland performance in Illinois /

Wetlands are extremely valuable natural features that have decreased significantly in number over time in Illinois and the United States ... Their important functions include flood protection, water conservation in times of drought, groundwater recharge, improvement of water quality through sediment reduction and contaminant removal, and providing habitat for native animals and plants, including many sensitive and state-listed threatened and endangered species ... Due to a federal "no net loss" policy on wetlands adopted through executive order by President George H. Bush in 1990, as well as a prevailing heightened interest in conservation in general, there is currently considerable interest in the restoration and creation of wetlands. Both Section-404 of the Clean Water Act of 1972 and the Swampbuster Provision of the Food Securities Act of 1985 require compensation or mitigation for the loss of wetlands. A number of federal and state programs such as Section 319 of the Clean Water Act and the Conservation Reserve Program within the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) encourage wetland restoration and creation. In addition, various conservation organizations, such as The Nature Conservancy and Ducks Unlimited are very active in wetland restoration. Despite wetland restoration efforts and the national goal of no net loss, wetlands and wetland functions continue to be lost due to degradation of existing wetlands ... Unfortunately, no reliable information exists on the quality of existing wetlands or on trends in wetland quality over time ... The functional quality of existing wetlands is likely decreasing in many areas due to the combined effects of habitat fragmentation, alteration of hydrology, invasive species, and continued input of nutrients and pollutants. Furthermore, it is still debatable whether created or restored wetlands can adequately replace the suite of ecological functions provided by natural wetlands ... and the failure of many wetland compensation projects contributes to a continued national net loss of wetland functions ... The need for post-construction site monitoring and assessment of created and restored wetlands to evaluate functional success is widely recognized. ... At this time, there is little agreement on how to assess the success on quality of wetland restorations or creations.

Wetland Monitoring and Assessment Program for the State of Illinois /

"IEPA/BOW/07-020"--Cover.

Wetland Reserve Program : restoring America's wetlands.

"February 2000"--P. [3] of cover.

Wetland Evaluation Technique (WET).

"October 1987."

Estudi i propostes de gestió de les zones humides dels Estanys de Basturs

Estudi del medi abiòtic i biòtic dels estanys de Basturs (Conca del riu Tremp) a partir del qual s'han elaborat diverses propostes de gestió dirigides a una millora de la conservació les zones humides

Expedición Itzatá

Expedición Itzatá es un proyecto de gestión cultural que busca promover la conservación del humedal de Córdoba, educar sobre la importancia de dicho ecosistema y rescatar sus valores culturales, acercando a niños y jóvenes por medio de un videojuego que ambientará una expedición en el humedal.

Restoring the everglades : public participation in federal efforts : report to Congressional requesters /

"B-261985"--P. 1.

Wetlands of Rhode Island /

Mode of access: Internet.