I need to simulate the best management practices for protecting wetland loss at the middle of agricultural lands. Can any one advice me which model best simulates BMP for wetlands restoration that happens due to sediment coming from upland agricultural land. Thanks
I think these could help you;
There is a body of information developed by the US Corps of Engineers, addressing the Clean Water Act. Also EPA developed Management Measures associated with the Coastal Zone Management Act. There was also some publications on Wetland Mitigation associated with varying conferences. Wetland identification and inventory is a good step, with then some regulations or BMPs directed to avoidance, minimization, mitigation or compensation as appropriate. Some wetlands are more important than others to wildlife, botanical, scenery and other resource benefits. Wetlands can help reduce and capture sediment in overland flow, or sometimes associated with floodplains. An over abundance of sediment could fill in Wetland, but the hydric soils, vegetation and hydrology may still allow some functions. Some wetlands will eventually fill anyway and loose some function through the accumulation of organics, but may reappear or be renewed when they burn during severe wildfires, but the plume of smoke and flames can be impressive. If you have a Wetland, you have hydric soils, hydrophytic vegetation and hydrology. If the hydrology is lost, eventually the others may be lost too. It probably takes 30 years to convert upland soils to hydric, so the advice is generally protect what we have, or select areas with hydric soil indicators and work to restore hydrology and vegetation. Some agriculture practices change hydrology, soil cover, sediment loading. It’s probably best to assess each situation and come up with a plan to address the desire to protect wetlands and their function, while still farming. Decreasing sediment generated from agricultural lands also has a set of BMPs to fit the situation, such as grassed waterways, agricultural terraces properly designed and maintained, no or partial till, sediment fencing, or if gullying, see our paper on sediment filter fencing that caught 50 tons of sediment from an active, small ephemeral gully. The cost was minimal to just set up and catch the sediment, when it is coming from a small confined source.
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