Management strategies to protect the water cycle

What are wetlands?

Wetlands are areas including freshwater and salt marshes

What are a common feature of a high water table near the surface?

Wetlands as a high water table permanently saturated

How much carbon do wetlands absorb?

35%

How much of the Earth’s surface is wetland?

3-6%

What has out pressure on wetland areas?

Urbanisation, population growth, economic development

In the 1990s, Canada’s provinces lost how much wetland and this how much carbon?

70% of their wetland which stores 3.25 C/ha/year

How much of Canada’s provinces have been restores and how much does that store?

• 112,000 ha

• Sequesters 364,000 tonnes

How does wetland restoration occur?

This includes raising the local water table to recreate waterlogged conditions and reconnect to rivers by the removal of embankments or diverting river flow.

What is afforestation?

This involves planting trees in deforested areas or in areas that have never been forested.

What is the impact of afforestation on the water and carbon cycle?

Can reduce atmospheric CO2 levels in the medium to long term and combat climate change. It also has some other benefits such as reducing flood risk and soil erosion.

What is the UN’s Reducing Emission from Deforestation and Forest Degradation scheme?

• The REDD scheme incentives developing countries to conserve the rainforest

• 41% of Vietnam’s land is rainforest - 295 of this is plantations and 71% of it is natural.

• The Lao Cai Provinces uses the skills of the local people to help conserve the rainforest whilst harvesting key resources to sell.

• The Vietnamese govt wants to increase the economic significant of their rainforest (makes up 3.5%).

What is the impact of modification of agricultural practices on the water cycle?

• Unsustainable agricultural practices such as overcultivation, overgrazing and extensive intensification often result in soil erosion and the release of large quantities of carbon to the atmosphere intensive livestock farming produces 100 million tonnes a year of CH4 - also in manure and rice fields

• Land and crop management - reduction of ploughing of the label conserves the soil’s organic carbon store; Polyculture (growing crops with trees can protect the soil from erosion); Crops residues (leaving stems to to provide ground cover);

• Controlling methane decomposition - storing it in anaerobic containers and capturing CH4 as a store of renewable energy. Also improving livestock feed so they produce less methane

What is the impact of international agreements on the water and carbon cycle?

• Kyoto Protocol in 1997 was an international treaty with wealthy countries to lower their CO2 emissions - China and India were exempt

• The Paris Climate Convention in 2015 was an agreement to reduce global CO2 emissions below 60% by 2050 to stop temps reaching 2 degrees

• Countries set their agendas and targets and richer countries pledged to help developing countries with technology and financial incentives

• Some developing countries argue that the richer countries have more of a responsibility as they produce more CO2 and them industrialising is helping them develop

• This however isn’t legally enforceable

What is the impact of cap and trade on the carbon cycle?

• Businesses are allocated an annual quota for their CO2 emissions - carbon credits can be traded and purchased

• If a company exceeds their limit, they have to purchase more

• Carbon offsets are credits awarded to companies who help the environment

What is the impact of forestry on the water cycle?

• The Amazon Region Protected Areas programme (ARPA) is supported by the UN, World Bank and the WWF to help protect 10% of the rainforest

• 128 million acres is protected and the target is 150 million - there’s a 75% decrease in deforestation between 2000-12

• This stabilises the regional water cycle

What is the impact of water allocation on the water cycle?

• In countries of water scarcity govts have to make difficult decisions on where water goes.

• Agriculture: 70% of water withdrawals

• Consumption: 90%

• Improved management techniques such as mulching, zero -soil disturbance and drip irrigation; reduced surface loss by contour ploughing and vegetation strips.

What is the impact of drainage basin planning on the water cycle?

• The management of water resources is most effective at a local scale

• The EU water Directive Framework has defined ten key river basins districts, all with it’s own management plan to ensure water quality, abstracting rates and flood control