Module 2 - Ecological Restoration Flashcards
Ecological Restoration definition
Ecological restoration aims to enable the recovery of the resilience and adaptive capacity of ecosystems that have been degraded, damaged, or destroyed
Key Ecological Values
Conserving viable populations of native species
Conserving ecosystem diversity
Maintaining evolutionary and ecological processes
Managing over long time frames to maintain evolutionary potential
Accommodating human use and occupancy within these constraints
Evaluating restoration success
- Species diversity and composition reflects reference ecosystem
- Presence of indigenous species
- All functional groups represented
- Physical environment can sustain reproducing populations
- Function at time,
t, matches its development stage - Integrated with neighbouring ecosystems
- Potential threats/risks eliminated
- Resiliency to normal stress events
Key stream features
Rivers are ever-changing, with or without human intervention
Dynamic throughput of sediment, nutrients etc.
Exist in a wide variety of geographical and topographical situations
Variety of form
River ecosystem services: Consumptive provisioning Non-consumptive provisioning Regulation Supporting services Cultural/social
What makes a healthy functioning stream?
- Range of flows and functioning floodplain
- Resilience to droughts and floods
- Ability to transport sediment
- Bed stability and diversity
- Bank stability
- Diversity of habitat
- Riparian buffer
Drivers for stream restoration - Impairments and consequences
Impairments • Straightening • Dredging • Floodplain infill • Watershed manipulation • Stormwater • Pollution point source discharges • Utilities, culverts, infrastructure • Buffer removal
Consequences • Loss of water quality • Habitat loss • Land loss • Safety issues • Infrastructure damage • Flooding • Aesthetics
Stream Restoration Design concepts
Hydrology Sedimentology Morphology: sinuousity Slope modification Habitat: Both riparian and instream habitat Connectivity: Culverts
Key concepts for Designing stream crossings
- Avoidance of overly steep or perched culverts
- Shortest crossing distance possible
- Match natural bankfull width
- Culverts to maintain base flow at its normal width, depth and velocity
- Use of cross vanes upstream to control flow direction, sediment transport
Case study: Ōtākaro/Avon River Precinct redevelopment key features
In-stream:
- Split river into riffle, run and pool zones
- Narrowing river sections:
- Speeds up water
- Sluices out silt
- Exposes rougher substrate
- Addition of bankside rocks that are rough and irregular
- Legacy sediment removal: Sandwand
Surrounding area:
- Increased bankside planting:
- Reduce number of mallards
- Provides spawning and protective habitat for inanga
- New planting to focus on natives that provide habitat and food for native birds
- Maintain exotic heritage trees such as poplars and cherries
- Provide stormwater treatment (e.g. via raingardens) before discharge to the river
Examples of engineering techniques Ōtākaro/Avon River Precinct redevelopment
- Computational modelling to predict water levels with the proposed new cross-sectional configuration for different flows
- Flood inundation mapping
- Water quality monitoring and analysis
- Design and construction of stormwater treatment systems
- Project management of a interdisciplinary team
- Construction monitoring
Natural and Physical Built and Non - physical built Barriers
Natural: Waterfall Swamp Overhangs Others: Low water levels / dry stream bed, Uninhabitable zone
Physical Built Barriers: Falls/weirs, Dams Chutes(High velocity zones) Screens Overhangs
Non-physical Built Barriers: Air bubble curtains Acoustic Electric Light Chemicals
Barrier design to prevent trout
V-notch or similar crest profile Minimum fall height > 1.5 m Small drops (< 2.5 m) should be combined with other barrier mechanisms ≥ 500 mm overhangs to inhibit jumping
Barrier Design considerations include
Location and reach profile Response to varying flows Upstream effects Downstream effects Sediment Erosion protection Dimensions and crest profile Foundations and connections Habitat health
Define the species of concern: Trout Salmonids Carp Koaro
Strong swimmers Strong jumpers Climbers Sound sensitive
X X
X X
X
X
Diadromous Fish
Migratory Fish
Barrier Design considerations for Water Hydrology
Design flood
Characteristics of that flood flow: Height, flowpaths near barrier, debris, sediment load?
Cross-sectional profile
Hydrological stability of reach
Backwater profile
Drowning out of barrier by downstream obstruction
Typical sediment load
Effects on wider community balances e.g. macrophytes
Construction Enabling Works for barrier
Temporary diversion
Clearance of vegetation
Bank reshaping, bunding
Sediment control
Commissioning of barrier?
Collecting data to investigate if barrier works
Lake ecosystem features
Ecotones: Transition area between two biomes
Zoning and Stratification: Layers of lake water
Human impacts: eutrophication, acidification, invasive species
Drivers for lake restoration
Ecological values
Social values
Cultural values
Economic values
Desirable outcomes of lake restoration
Regeneration and restoration of native habitat
Higher/lower level levels
Reinstatement of fluctuations in lake levels
Increase in bird, fish population and diversity
Reduced erosion and sedimentation
Opportunity to contribute to management
Adaptive management (responsive to feedback)
Lake Restoration approaches
- Lake level control
Motivation: More stable lake levels
Techniques: Multi-level barrier at opening, Enhanced connections with other waterbodies - Enhancing macrophyte recovery (Large plants)
Motivation: Improved water clarity, Reduced shoreline erosion
Techniques: Stabilising water level, Relocation of plants - Phytoplankton reduction
Motivation: Reduction in algal blooms
Techniques: Flushing, Biomanipulation – introduction of higher trophic species - Managing sediment inputs
Motivation: key stressor of aquatic ecosystems
Techniques: Constructed wetlands, redirect flow - Near lake land management
Motivation: Reduce nutrient and sediment contribution
Techniques: Control carbon and nutrient inputs to land, stock exclusion, invasive weed control
What is phytoremediation?
Direct use of living plants to provide treatment of contaminant
What is phytotechnology ?
Mechanisms by which living plants alter the chemical
composition of the soil matrix in which they are growing.
Used in different ways:
Prevention or protection of an environment
Control applications
Remediation
What is phytoforensics ?
Use of plants as ‘biosentinels’ for
detection of contaminants
Detection of e.g.
• Explosives
• Chlorinated solvents
• Petroleum hydrocarbons
What contaiminants can phytoremediation remove?
Heavy metals Radionuclides Chlorinated solvents Petroleum hydrocarbons Nutrients
What is phytostabilisation?
Happens in soil, presence of plant, enzymes facilitate binding of heavy metals which makes them less biologically available
What is Phytoextraction?
Uptake of individual compounds by Adsorption to plant surface through cell membrane or stay stuck to root surface
What is phytodegradation?
Break down of metals by enzymes within the plant leafs or roots
What is Photostimutation?
Plant roots provide energy (act as cataylst) releases enzymes to enhance breakdown rates
What is photoviolatilisation?
Release of volatile contaminants. Plants provide pathway to air
Techniques for measuring contaminants in plants
Tree core sampling
In planta direct analysis
Key benefits of using phytoforensics
The method is quick and inexpensive
Allows for greater spatial coverage
Minimal impacts on people, their property, the
environment
Long term monitoring ability at same location
Public health, environmental health benefits
Phytoremediation advantages & disadvantages
Advantages:
- Lower cost
- Permanent
- Working with nature
- Opportunity for ongoing monitoring
- Potential for recovery of compounds
- Works on wide range of contaminants
- Improved site aethestics
Disadvantages:
- Only root zone and surface vegetated area influenced
- Long timeframes for growth
- Low-moderate levels of contamination
- Some ongoing leaching of contaminants to groundwater
- Plant survival sensitive to toxicity
- Bioaccumulation in plants
- Complex system to understand and support biological functions
