Case Studies of Ecological Restoration and Conservation Strategies for Marshes and Peatlands

Wetlands are being degraded and destroyed at a faster rate than any other ecosystem on earth. Many key functions and values that wetlands provide have already been lost. Since the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, the crucial benefits of wetland restoration and creation have been recognized by an increasing number of countries around the world. The goal of this chapter is to illuminate the ecological restoration and conservation strategies for marshes and peatlands using case studies. General principles and guidelines based on experience under different settings can offer a useful starting point for new restoration projects. We summarize eight key principles applied to different stages of a restoration project, from early planning to post-implementation monitoring that can be used widely. These principles focus on scientific and technical issues, but as in all environmental management activities, the importance of community perspectives and values should not be overlooked. We present an in-depth look at four different wetland restoration case studies. We acknowledge that every restoration project is unique and that there is no “cookbook” for restoring wetlands. Even so, these case studies provide a general outline regarding the historical causes of wetland degradation, the goal-setting required for successful restoration, and the details involved in significant wetland restoration efforts across different sites. In addition, the valuable lessons and challenges faced by the Chinese government in response to these case studies will be discussed.