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Fall 2024 |
Newsletter Archive |
How healthy are our urban wetlands? |  |
Have you walked by a wetland in Calgary and wondered if it is healthy? Wetlands, after all, are super important ecosystems that punch way above their weight. Just a quick refresher, wetlands clean water, store water, reduce the risk of floods and support biodiversity. We love hearing amphibians call in the spring around Calgary and enjoy watching migratory birds return. So how do we know if a wetland is healthy or if management actions are needed to improve a wetlands health? In partnership with The City of Calgary and wetland specialists we developed a new wetland survey tool to monitor wetland condition. With assistance from Calgary Parks Ecologists and Mount Royal University students we tested the survey and improved the aquatic condition index we developed. Seventy-four wetlands were visited in the field, and a rapid assessment was undertaken using a series of indicators that consider different wetland functions relating to hydrology, ecology and water quality. For each wetland a score is calculated and a condition category assigned (very low, low, moderate and high condition). This enables The City to prioritize management actions to improve condition and we can track change of wetland condition over time. Learn more in our recent paper released in Urban Ecosystems. | |