Wetlands do a myriad of good things for humanity: protecting cities from storms by soaking up and slowing down the flow of floodwaters, helping filter out pollutants, and providing places to escape out into the natural world.

However, when thinking about where and how to install wetlands, it can be difficult to keep these many benefits in mind.

Two common uses for wetlands are the uptake of phosphorus (which is a fertilizer used to help plants grow–when over loaded in the environment phosphorus can cause harmful algal blooms) and as habitat for waterfowl like ducks and geese.

In a recent paper published in the Journal of Ecological Engineering Design, Natural Infrastructure Fellow Maddie Carpenter created a model that did just that: it assessed waterfowl habitat and phosphorus uptake in wetlands on the landscape. Then she used her model to analyze what factors led to wetlands performing best in those arenas.

The paper, titled “Multi-Objective Wetland Design for Water Quality and Waterfowl Habitat,” found that by varying water levels within the wetland, managers could ensure that the areas met both objectives of providing habitat and uptaking phosphorus. They also found that larger wetlands did a better job of providing multiple benefits than smaller wetlands did.

Here at IRIS, we’re always for more wetlands. Big thanks to our partners at Ducks Unlimited for funding this research.

To read the full paper, click here!

Photo from Pexels.com, by Enes Beydilli