New and recent Journals/Newsletters/Books/Reports

Blankenburg, J and& W. Tonnis (eds). 2004. Guidelines for Wetland Restoration of Peat Cutting Areas. 60p.

The work for this project began in 1995 when a group of European scientists started the BRIDGE-Project. They studied the groundwater hydrology, soils and vegetation, and atmospheric interactions in lowland cut-over raised peatlands. The results of the work are documented in this book. The manual, is available as a PDF download with either low or high quality graphics:Low graphics (2,1 Mb):

www.nlfb.de/boden/downloads/guidelines_screenk.pdfHigh graphics (6,5 Mb):www.nlfb.de/boden/downloads/guidelines_screen.pdf

Revenga, C. and Y. Kura. 2003. Status and Trends of Biodiversity of Inland Water Ecosystems. Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, Technical Series no. 11.

This 120-page report covers the condition of and threats to inland water ecosystems; a review of inland water species richness, distribution and conservation status; inland water ecosystems and habitats identified as high conservation priority; and data gaps and information needs, and it includes an informative review of 18 other ongoing assessments of water resources and inland water biodiversity, including those by IUCN, BirdLife, WWF, the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, CGIAR, LakeNet and others.

MacKay, H., P. Ashton, M. Neal and A. Weaver, 2004. Investment strategy for the crosscutting domain: Water and the Environment (Report no. KV 148/04)

The core strategy of the Water Research Commission calls for specific mechanisms to address key strategic issues of national importance; these are dealt with in four crosscutting domains addressing:

This document provides the strategic context for the Water and Environment domain and describes the proposed investment framework for this domain. The objective of the domain is to contribute to achieving a situation where our governance systems and our understanding of environmental processes and functioning are aligned to support sustainable water management that meets the needs of society.

The document comprises four sections plus two appendices: Section 1 places the Water and Environment domain within the overall strategy of the WRC and outlines the rationale and scope of the research needs. Section 2 lists the principles, objectives and proposed success criteria for the domain. Section 3 presents the investment framework down to research programme level, whilst Section 4 charts the way forward.

The close linkages between air, water and land, through the hydrological cycle, ensure that surface and ground water resources are strongly influenced by changes and processes that originate within the broader natural environment. Effective and sustainable management of water resources requires that we recognize and account for natural processes as well as human induced impacts occurring in the natural environment, which influence all phases of the hydrological cycle. This is one of the key principles of Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM), which underpins South Africa’s water policy and legislation.

Incomplete knowledge and understanding of the linkages between environmental components (atmospheric, marine, terrestrial, aquatic, subterranean) within the hydrological cycle, and between the hydrological cycle and governance systems, hinder sustainable water resource management. This crosscutting domain promotes enhanced understanding of whole-ecosystem functioning in the context of the broader environment and its effects on water resources, and supports the development and application of good environmental governance systems. Activities within this domain contribute to sustainable water resources management that meets the changing needs of society, by combining:

- Our knowledge of environmental components (atmospheric, marine, terrestrial, aquatic, subterranean) and processes within the hydrological cycle.

- The primary focus will be to integrate existing and new insights generated by research within and between the Water Research Commission’s Key Strategic Areas and by other institutions working in related fields.

In addition, this domain will stimulate the generation of specific new knowledge and understanding that will equip the water sector to anticipate and respond appropriately to changes within the biophysical environment. Although this domain is characterized by integrating research at a high / meta-data analysis level, it is recognized that such research is only possible on the assumption that we have a sound foundation of appropriate basic research (and data) in place.

The report is available in hard copy from the Water Research Commission. The report is free to South African residents, while a small fee is charged for requests from outside South Africa.To order, contact orders@wrc.org.za and quote the report number KV148/04.

Dickens, C., D. Kotze, S. Mashigo, H. MacKay, and M Graham. 2004. Guidelines for integrating the protection, conservation and management of wetlands into catchment management planning (TT220/03).

The Guideline provides a template, or “Critical Path” on which Catchment Management Agencies (CMAs) and other departments or agencies responsible for water management will be able to integrate wetland management into water resources planning and management. The Critical Path intends to help agencies navigate from (a) planning at catchment level for wetlands management and protection, to (b) implementation of wetland protection, rehabilitation and management strategies at site level. The guideline has been specifically written to help wetland managers and water resource managers in South Africa to work together for the wise use of wetlands, and is presented in a clear and jargon-free style to facilitate such co-operation. Many of the concepts and principles are generally applicable and will be of interest to professionals and interest groups in other countries. The report is available in hard copy from the Water Research Commission.

The report is free to South African residents, while a small fee is charged for requests from outside South Africa.To order, contact orders@wrc.org.za and quote the report number TT220/03.

Tomassen, H.B.M. 2004. Revival of Dutch Sphagnum bogs: a reasonable perspective? PhD thesis University of Nijmegen.

“The restoration and conservation of cut-over bogs are frustrated by various problems..,.” but Hilde Tomassen proposes a method to solve them. The main conclusion of her very interesting PhD thesis is to re-establish floating mats on deeply inundated cut-over bogs by introducing bunkerde (or poorly humified peat with the appropriate characteristics) from nearby sites, further recommending moderate lime addition for the bog restoration praxis. Hilde identified the mechanisms influencing the development of floating mats (by means of field observations and laboratory experiments) and assessed how the development of floating mats can be stimulated in restoration projects.In detail she examined:

- the importance of physico-chemical peat characteristics for the development of floating mats by comparing inundated and buoyant peat substrates (chapter 2).

- the effect of groundwater chemistry and peat quality on the development of floating mats (chapter 3: in greenhouse, chapter 4: outdoor)

- the effects of high N deposition and desiccation on the expansion of invasive species (Molinia, Betula pubescens) (chapter 5: field experiments, chapter 6: laboratory experiments under non-desiccated conditions to estimate the critical atmospheric N load for ombrotrophic bog vegetation)

The final chapter (8) contains a summary and evaluation of the results, as well as useful recommendations for the conservation of ombrotrophic vegetation and successful restoration of cut-over bogs.With respect to the methane balance a more concrete comparison between the different “phases” of bog degradation and floating mat formation would have been desirable.For more information contact:hilde.tomassen@sci.kun.nl

Galand, P.E. 2004. Methanogenic Archaea in boreal peatlands. PhD Thesis Univ. of Helsinki. 35p.

Wetlands, including peatlands, are the main source of natural emissions of the green house gas methane (CH₄). The production and release of CH₄, and their regulatory environmental factors have been studied intensively in boreal peatlands, but the communities of methanogenic Archaea, responsible for CH₄ formation, remain poorly described.

This thesis investigated the diversity, and activity of methanogens, at the natural Salmisuo fen, at different peat depths of the most representative microsite (Eriophorum lawn). Comparison of methanogen communities from two well-defined fen microsites, Eriophorum lawn and hummock, indicated that populations changed with sites in upper fen layers. In the deeper fen layers, methanogen communities were homogenous across microsites. Novel methanogenic sequences were found at both depths of both sites. Vegetation characterising the microsites probably influences methanogenic communities, and metabolic pathways in the anaerobic layers of the fen. The diversity of methanogens was lower in the drained bog than in the natural fen. An ash fertilisation trial, intended to simulate forestry practices, demonstrated that ash treatment marginally increased peat pH in anaerobic layers without affecting the major methanogen groups, or the potential methane production. Some Fen cluster-related sequences were, nevertheless, retrieved from fertilized plots only, suggesting a group specific response to increase in soil pH.

Van Duzer, C. 2004. Floating Islands: A Global Bibliography. Floating Islands. Cantor Press. 428 p.

A unique treasury of information about one of nature’s marvels: floating islands. The bibliography contains more than 1800 citations of books and articles in twenty languages on the subject, annotated and cross-referenced, and with both thematic and geographic indices. All aspects of floating islands are addressed, including their formation, the causes of their buoyancy, their role in the ecology of lakes and wetlands, their flora and fauna, their role in the dispersal of plants and animals, and methods for controlling and managing them. Works are also cited on artificial floating islands used for agriculture, human habitation, wildlife habitat, and improvement of water quality; and floating islands in literature, myth, and legend. The book includes the text and an English translation, with detailed notes, of G. C. Munz’s rare 1711 thesis on floating islands, Exercitatio academica de insulis natantibus, as well as photographs of several floating islands.

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