Is there some sort of scale that ranks wetland quality?
Lou asked:
I am looking for a standard way of ranking the quality of a wetland. I assume this would have something to do with Biological diversity within the wetland, water storage etc. Does anyone know of standards similar to this and if so where and who has created those standards.
I am looking for a standard way of ranking the quality of a wetland. I assume this would have something to do with Biological diversity within the wetland, water storage etc. Does anyone know of standards similar to this and if so where and who has created those standards.
I am doing a project that I hope will eventually lead to me quantifying the value of individual wetlands within the study area. I could come up with my own scale but would rather go with an industry standard if one exists.
NICOLETTE
Tags: water quality management, water quality test, water quality monitoring, water quality, water quality testing
2 Responses “Is there some sort of scale that ranks wetland quality?”
Sort of. In terms of the protection they get, you can range from “ordinary wetlands” (Go ahead and fill in half an acre; we don’t mind.) to “exceptional value wetlands”. The latter category is for wetlands that feed a drinking water supply, are home to a population of an endangered or threatened species, etc.
Your idea of ranking on the basis of diversity indices is a good one. With streams, we rank on the basis of numerous indices, not only those that measure diversity. The indices are then compared to those for a stream in the same general area that is considered to be in good shape. Prior to that, I had been using my own standards, a stream that was affected by a malfunctioning sewage treatment plant and one that not only had stoneflies, it was dominated by them.
Wetland classification isn’t a very controversial area of study, expect when you attempt what you’re doing, which is looking at the function of the wetland. So I guess the answer is, there IS no standard.
Basically, there are over a hundred different methods of wetland quality assessment; pretty much every organization has their own. I would seriously suggest the source, even though it’s a pdf. If the scientific jargon isn’t working for you, drop me a lone and I can summarize.
It would be fun to talk about as I’m actually discussing Water Quality Assessment in my Environmental Management Course