Averting degradation of southern Ontario wetlands due to hydrologic alterations associated with development

作者：Bradford Andrea^*

来源：Canadian Water Resources Journal, 2016, 41(4): 543-553.

DOI：10.1080/07011784.2015.1119061

Policy statements in Ontario express a desire to prevent degradation that threatens significant wetlands. Yet loss of wetland features and functions continues. Better approaches and tools need to be applied to support planning and management and reverse the trend of incremental wetland degradation. This paper synthesizes existing knowledge to: (1) suggest some requirements for demonstrating that activities will not have a negative impact on a wetland feature or its functions due to hydrologic alterations; and (2) expose some flaws in reasoning with respect to wetland hydrology that could lead to poor decisions. Studies to demonstrate no negative impact should be required to confirm the plausibility of the conceptual hydrologic model of the wetland and consider the full range of hydrologic alterations that may be ecologically relevant. Evidence-based arguments, with sound scientific underpinnings, are needed to show that there will be no hydrologic changes, that ecological functions are not sensitive to changes, or that changes can be controlled to prevent negative impact. Better collaboration between disciplines will help to avoid results based on faulty or incomplete knowledge.

• 出版日期2016-12