Rapid development of an unusual peat-accumulating ecosystem
in the Chilean Altiplano

by Lisa R. Earle, Barry G. Warner, Ramon Aravena
Published in Quaternary Research 59:2-11

This area grew out of our view of wetlands as delicately balanced systems having physical, hydrological, geochemical and biological components. Our approach takes a multi-disciplinary approach at looking at interactions between each of these components. The results of this work has led to new insights regarding the origin and cycling of carbon and nitrogen in wetland ecosystems. Interest in the possibility of using wetlands in riparian zones of rivers and lakes in agricultural landscapes has led to a major effort spear-head by members to understand the groundwater-surface water connections and the processes associated with riparian wetlands to attenuate agricultural contaminants.

Selected Recent Publications:

Peatland Restoration

One of the main concerns of Canada's peat industry is the restoration of bogs following harvesting, management of the old cutover bogs, and the sustainability of Canada's peat resources. Drs. J. Price and B.G. Warner are involved in this area of research. Through collaboration with Laval University (http://www.fsaa.ulaval.ca/gret-perg/), and industrial partners in Quebec, Dr. Price is investigating the hydrological characteristics of cutover bogs and restoration requirements to sustain peatland vegetation growth. Dr. Warner is investigating processes associated with secondary peat growth as a tool for managing and restoring bogs in Europe and Ontario.

Selected Recent Publications:

Ecological Engineering: Created and Restored Wetlands

Various regions of Canada have experienced major declines in the extent of natural wetland over the past couple centuries. The creation and restoration of habitat wetlands is one way of returning lost wildlife habitat to the landscape. We are working to understand some of the physical, hydrological, geochemical and biological processes of newly created wetlands and the processes which regulate development of well-established older wetland systems. This is being pursued by Dr. B.G. Warner, Dr.J.C. Davies and Dr. R. Aravena in partnership with the Ministry of Natural Resources, Ducks Unlimited Canada, and other researchers and agencies. The use of wetlands to treat wastewater of various kinds is very much at the experimental stage in Canada. Little is known about the processes which operate in various treatment wetland systems and how they differ between different designs. Drs. B.G. Warner, D.R. Rudolph, and R. Aravena are working in partnership with industrial partners on wetland projects aimed at treating industrial and domestic wastewater.

Selected Recent Publications:

Hydrology and Ecosystem Dynamics of Wetlands

Various aspects on the hydrology and hydrogeochemistry of wetlands are being undertaken by many researchers in the WETLANDS RESEARCH CENTRE. Dr. R. Soulis has been involved in developing WATFLOOD, a hydrological modelling program for wetlands. The WETLANDS RESEARCH CENTRE is beginning a major research project on the hydrology and functional dynamics of wetlands in the hyperoceanic region of coastal British Columbia. This is a long-term multidisciplinary project aimed at understanding the interactions between wetlands and forest growth in partnership with Forestry Resources British Columbia, the University of British Columbia and the BC Ministry of Forests.

Selected Recent Publications:

Plant and Animal Ecology

Selected Recent Publications:

Long-term History and Development of Wetlands

Wetlands are unusual ecosystems in that as they develop they preserve a record of their past in the sediments and peat that accumulate in them. Stratigraphical and paleoecological techniques are used to age and reconstruct past developmental history of wetlands. A number of projects in both Canada and abroad spear-headed by Dr. B.G. Warner are underway which focus on understanding the history of various kinds of wetlands. One major initiative has been the Paleoecological Analysis of Circumpolar Treeline (PACT) project , a collaborative effort between Canada and Russia, which focuses on the Arctic and Subarctic region.

Selected Recent Publications:

Wetlands Classification

C.D.A. Rubec and B.G. Warner have worked with the Canadian National Wetland Working Group to revise the Canadian Wetland Classification System. The system identifies the importance of hydrogeomorphology and incorporates these criteria into a revised classification system published in 1997.

Selected Recent Publications:

Wetland Boundary Definition and Evaluation

The book co-edited by Drs. G. Mulamootil, B.G. Warner and E.A. McBean is the first one on the topic which brings together scientists and researchers in understanding environmental gradients (physical, chemical, hydrological and biological) as a prerequisite for delineating wetland boundaries. Only when boundaries are determined can consultants, planners, engineers, and conservationists determine if and what kind of buffer needs to be established around wetlands. Some of the papers in the book are of direct relevance to Ontario and will serve to assist in the implementation of wetland policies in Canada.

Selected Recent Publications:

Policy and Land Use Planning

C.D.A. Rubec is taking a leading role in working internationally, nationally, provincially and with local agencies in developing wetland policies and management strategies. Drs. G. Mulamootil, M. Bardecki, and M. Stone are heavily involved in various issues surrounding planning and management issues of wetlands at various geographic scales.

Selected Recent Publications:

Conservation and Management

Selected Recent Publications:

Economics of Wetlands

The economic value of wetlands is an important area of research which has received little attention in Canada. This is a new area of research which the Wetlands Research Centre is beginning to develop.

Selected Recent Publications:

International Studies

Current ongoing projects are underway in : Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Brazil, Chile, Japan, Indonesia and Southern Africa.

Selected Recent Publications

Remote Sensing

A variety of airborne and ground-based sensing techniques are being tested and developed for mapping wetlands and for wetland inventory programs. The use of Geographic Information Systems is an important part of this research.

Selected Recent Publications: