Читать книгу Wetland Carbon and Environmental Management - Группа авторов - Страница 79

The redox environment, organic matter characteristics, and physicochemical factors are well understood to be the fundamental attributes that determine the capacity of wetlands to capture, preserve, and release carbon. Just one of these – the redox environment – has been the focus of most management‐informed research and management activities. Yet even this relatively rich body of knowledge has proven insufficient to accurately predict counterintuitive responses that have been observed in response to drainage or impoundment. Developing a more robust predictive capacity for carbon‐focused management activities in wetlands requires a nuanced application of the biogeochemical processes discussed in this chapter. Examples include the responses of extracellular enzymes to water table manipulation and the influence of plant traits related to O₂ transport on rates of organic matter decomposition, CH₄ production, and CH₄ oxidation. Advances in wetland carbon biogeochemistry can be incorporated into management plans to enhance carbon preservation, prevent the destabilization of accumulated soil carbon, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, thus maintaining the role of wetlands as regulators of global climate. Given the present limits on our ability to optimize wetland creation and restoration for specific carbon and greenhouse gas emission goals, it is wise to prioritize conservation of existing wetland carbon stocks over restoration and management (Moomaw et al., 2018; Neubauer & Verhoeven, 2019). In addition to the biogeochemical considerations we have discussed in this chapter, the cost effectiveness of various restoration and management actions (e.g., Taillardat et al., 2020) has real‐world implications for how wetlands are managed. Managing wetlands for climate regulation should be one facet of a comprehensive plan that also considers valuable co‐benefits of wetlands including water quality improvement, wildlife support, water storage, and cultural services.