Water Management to Enhance Ecosystem Services in a Coastal Wetland in Taiwan

Abstract

Wetlands provide multiple ecosystem services, and wetland hydrology is one of the key determinants of wetland function. Budai Salt Pan Wetland provides at least 11 ecosystem services, i.e. food provision, genetic materials, climate regulation, water purification and treatment, natural hazard regulation, pollination, spiritual and inspirational, recreational, aesthetic, educational and nutrient cycling. As the wetland is completely encompassed by dikes, there is no natural hydrological connectivity, and the wetland frequently dries out during the dry season due to lack of management and insufficient rainfall. In order to enhance wetland function, including habitat quality and ecosystem services, this study created a water management plan which mimics nature through water gate operation. We conducted experimental gate operations and evaluated the potential impacts on ecosystem services. The results show a positive impact on two of the ecosystem services, climate regulation and genetic materials, due to the increased moisture content and feeding bird individuals after gate operation. There was an insignificant change in the natural hazard regulation service as the gate operation tested in this study addressed issues of water supply rather than increasing detention space through draining. Through mimicking nature, sustainable water management techniques have the potential to enhance ecosystem services in wetlands. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Evaluation of Gross Ecosystem Product in Taiwan Island and Analysis of Impact of Urbanization

“…Due to excessive groundwater extraction, land subsidence occurs in wetland region. And its altitude is -1.8~-0.5m currently [26] . Moreover, Rice, sugar, and tea are three famous traditional products in Taiwan, each of them known as the "Three Treasures of Taiwan".…”

Developing payment for ecosystem service schemes for coastal aquaculture in southwestern Taiwan

“…In this area, several unique coastal ecosystems exist, such as lagoons, sandbars, large-scale intertidal wetlands, and estuary wetlands. Coastal ecosystems can provide diverse ESs in these areas of Taiwan (Lew & Wu 2017, Kuo & Wang 2018, Hsu 2019. Additionally, these regions represent good habitats for rare migratory birds (e.g.…”

Development of a wetland management plan for Taiqu Saltpan, Taiwan, by stakeholder engagement and water gate operation

“…Other techniques to control the water levels in coastal wetlands are the use of dikes and water gates. Recently, tidal gate management approaches, together with tidal surge fluctuations, are being used to accomplish water management objectives (Kuo and Wang 2018, Vinten et al 2019, Khalil et al 2020, Wang et al 2020, Gaydon et al 2021, Guiot et al 2023. Vinten et al (2019) assessed the potential for hydraulic structure and dredging to manage water inflow and nutrient input into shallow wetlands in Scotland and to promote an adaptive water management strategy.…”

“…The results showed that the influence of ecology, water level, and salt-water intrusion controls all needed to be considered in the water management plan to obtain a water flow regime appropriate for fish passage (Guiot et al 2023). In Taiwan, the short-term use of water gates was synchronized with tidal cycles to enhance bird habitat, water flow, flood mitigation, and other ecosystem services in the Budai Saltpan Wetlands (Kuo andWang 2018, Wang et al 2020), allowing increasing use by water birds by manipulating water depths while maintaining public safety in the surrounding village communities. Stakeholder experiences also demonstrated https://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol28/iss3/art4/ the importance of considering communities' local needs in water management.…”