Objective
Integration of the effects of both natural and man-induced environmental change within procedures under development for the functional analysis of European wetland ecosystems.
Phase I of the FAEWE (Functional Analysis of European Wetland Ecosystems) project (Contract STEP-CT90-0084) has enabled considerable scientific advancement to be made towards understanding process dynamics and the use of the improved science base in developing a methodology for wetland functional analysis.
This second phase will capitalize on the achievements of Phase 1, to resolve questions arising from this work and enlarge its scope by extension to the catchment scale and applying the work more directly to EC environmental policy. Natural and man-made environmental changes and socio-economic variables will be integrated into the functional analysis procedures for wetland ecosystems, in particular targeted towards river corridor systems.
The following tasks are included in Phase 2 of the project:
- investigation of the effects of environmental change on processes operating in river marginal wetland ecosystems and their linkages to functioning, developing further the knowledge base established in FAEWE phase 1;
- confirmation of the key biological and physical environmental indicators as measures or predictors of environmental change in wetland ecosystems and evaluation of their sensitivity in relation to ecosystem functioning at a variety of scales from site level to the entire catchment;
- integration of the evaluation of the effects of environmental change, resulting from both anthropogenic and natural disturbance, into the system of functional analysis as a means of consolidating findings to date;
- integration of socio-economic criteria in the functional assessment methodology, facilitating the formulation of sustainable development strategies for river marginal wetlands; and
- establishment of a GIS format for the representation of wetland ecosystem functioning at site, catchment and broader scales.
Fields of science
Call for proposal
Data not availableFunding Scheme
CSC - Cost-sharing contractsCoordinator
TW20 0EX Egham
United Kingdom