Constructed wetlands save frogs and birds threatened with extinction
Over the last few decades, several thousands of wetlands have been constructed in Sweden in agricultural landscapes. The primary reason is that the wetlands prevent a surfeit of nutrients from reaching our oceans and lakes.
An important objective in constructing wetlands is reducing eutrophication – over-fertilisation. It’s surprisingly positive that they’ve also had such a great direct effect on biological diversity,” says Stefan Weisner, Professor of Biology specialising in environmental science at Halmstad University.
A special thanks to BK from Georgia for sending this article my way. (I would never have found it because it stunningly doesn’t even MENTION beavers.) So the Swedes are paying their farmers to make wetlands and still paying their trappers to kill beavers? I’m scratching my head at that story, but happy to see they appreciate the value of wetlands. It’s a start anyway. If a country values wetlands enough to pay farmers to make them, we should have an easier time convincing them to leave the creature who does it for free.
Over the last 15 years, nearly 3,000 wetland areas have been constructed in agricultural landscapes around Sweden. Farmers have the possibility of receiving economic support for this from sources such as the Swedish Board of Agriculture. The primary reason is because wetlands catch the surfeit of nutrients from agriculture such as nitrogen and phosphorus–substances that would otherwise have leaked out into the seas and lakes and contributed to eutrophication.
The study shows that creation of wetlands is a cost-effective to catch the nutrients.
“It’s a very effective way of purifying the water. It’s less expensive than constructing treatment plants, and in addition it contributes to biological diversity,” Prof Weisner says.
The whole thing made me think of the WWII lyrics Jon used to sing as a boy on the playground. “The Yanks are flying fortresses at 40,000 feet…etc” set to the tune of the battle hymn of the republic….
The Swedes are building beaver ponds with farmers on the land They do the labor all themselves, no beaver lends a hand They say it helps the birds and frogs, and takes the toxins out While trapping beavers off the land, of this I have no doubt. Beaver, beaver, you could help the birds and fish Beaver, beaver you could give them what they wish You could do the farmer’s job much better by a score And make the wetlands rich and pure just like you did before.And speaking of Northern Europe, the silent auction received a donation from an artist who lives in Zurich Switzerland yesterday. (No, I’m not kidding.) Simona Cellar maintains the Etsy site Anomisbysimona and will be sending us her adorable eager beaver calendar to keep track of accomplishments. Thank you Simona!
