 Wetlands,
Industry & Wildlife - a manual of principles and practices
No
part of this publication may be reproduced without the prior written permission of the
publisher;
for contact details see Title Page -
Contents
- Title Page
- Preface
- Acknowledgements
- Contents
PART I. BACKGROUND
1. Introduction
1.1 The aim of the
manual
1.2 Context
1.3 The target audience
1.4 Wetlands covered by the manual
1.5 Using the manual
2. Industry, wetland and wildlife
2.1 Why should industry
encourage wetlands and wildlife?
2.2 Are industry and wildlife compatible?
2.3 Where are the opportunities for wetlands on industrial land?
2.4 Habitat creation: the conservationists dilemma
2.5 Encouraging wildlife: the industrialists dilemma
3. Deciding what to do
3.1 Project proposals and management
plans
3.2 Getting advice
3.3 Investigating a site
3.4 Evaluating a site
3.5 Setting objectives
3.6 Keeping costs down
3.7 Implementation. Who should manage industrial wetlands
3.8 Monitoring and review. Is your wetland a success?
PART II. WETLAND ECOLOGY, DESIGN, CREATION AND MANAGEMENT
4. Wetland wildlife
4.1 Food Webs
4.2 Adaptability and diversity of species
4.3 Succession
4.4 Bacteria and Fungi
4.5 Algae
4.6 Plants
4.7 Invertebrates
4.8 Fish
4.9 Amphibians and reptiles
4.10 Birds
4.11 Mammals
5. Water: chemistry and quality
5.1 Water sources and their quality
5.2 Acidity, alkalinity and pH
5.3 Oxygen
5.4 Plant nutrients
5.5 Salinity
5.6 Chemical pollutants
5.7 Should wildlife be attracted to contaminated wetlands?
5.8 Designing and managing wetlands to improve water
quality
5.8.1
Suspended solids and associated contaminants
5.8.2
High nutrient levels
5.8.3
Acidity
5.8.4
Floating substances and debris
5.8.5
Separating contaminated water sources
6. Water: the physical environment
6.1 Depth and topography of aquatic
habitats
6.2 Water flow
6.3 Hydrology and water budgets
6.4 Using groundwater and hydraulic gradients in wetland
creation
6.5 The benefits of water level control
6.6 Methods for controlling water levels
6.6.1 Sluices
6.6.2 Dams
and bunds
6.6.3 Pumps
6.7 Wind, waves and erosion
6.8 Designing waterbodies to reduce wave action
6.8.1 The
design and use of shelterbelts
6.8.2 Engineering
solutions to bank erosion
7. Substrates
7.1 Watertight linings
7.1.1 Clay
7.1.2 Flexible
synthetic liners
7.1.3 Bentonite
7.1.4 Concrete
7.2 Surface substrates
7.3 Improving substrates for wildlife
7.3.1 Increasing
the levels of organic matter
7.3.2 Increasing
the levels of plant nutrients
7.3.3
Increasing surface texture
7.3.4 Increasing
substrate stability
7.3.5 Creating
gravel banks
7.4 Handling soils
7.5 Grading and land forming
7.6 Spoil
8. Other aspects of wetland design
8.1 Island
8.1.1 Design
and siting of islands for birds
8.1.2 Floating
islands
8.2 Boxes for wildlife
8.3 Making links with other habitats
8.4 Accommodating visitors
8.4.1 Paths
8.4.2 Hides
8.4.3 Site
Interpretation
8.5 Reducing the impact of
watersports and other recreation
8.6 Making management easier
8.7 Landscape considerations
9. The establishment and management of wetland plants and animals
9.1 Introducing wildlife into
wetlands
9.2 Establishing vegetation
9.2.1
Reeds and other emergent plants
9.2.2 Aquatic
plants
a) Invasive and unwanted plants
9.2.3
Marginal and meadow plants
a) Species selection
b) Planting
wildflowers
c) Seeding wildflowers and grass
9.2.4
Trees and shrubs
a) Species
selection
b) Site
selection
c) Establishing trees and shrubs
9.3 Controlling vegetation
9.3.1
Manipulating water levels
9.3.2 Cutting,
mowing and grazing
a) Timing
b) Cutting/mowing
c) Grazing
9.3.3 Burning
9.3.4 Coppicing
9.3.5
Herbicides
9.3.6
Use of Barley straw to clear algae
9.4 Waterway clearance and dredging
9.5 Predator control
9.6 Biomanipulation
10. Wetland designs for wildlife
10.1 Habitat for
wintering and passage waders (‘wader scrapes’)
10.2 Habitat for breeding waders of lowland wet grasslands.
10.3 Habitat for passage and wintering wildfowl (‘duck
marsh’)
10.4 Habitat for breeding wildfowl
10.5 Reedbed habitat.
10.6 Habitat for breeding amphibians.
10.7 Ponds for breeding dragonflies.
10.8 Ditches for aquatic invertebrates and plants.
PART III. INDUSTRIAL WETLANDS
11. Water storage reservoirs
11.1 Potential constraints associated with
reservoirs
11.1.1
Concrete shorelines
11.1.2
Salinity
11.1.3 High
silt loads
11.1.4
Fluctuating water levels
11.2 Attracting wildlife to
reservoirs
11.2.1
Concrete-banked reservoirs
11.2.2
Saltwater reservoirs
11.2.3
Reservoirs with highly fluctuating water levels
12. Silt storage lagoons
12.1 Potential constraints
associated with silt lagoons
12.1.1
Semi-liquid consistency
12.1.2 Formation
of impermeable surface pans
12.1.3 Contaminants
12.1.4 Salinity
12.1.5 Deposition
rate
12.1.6 Drainage
12.1.7 Difficulties
of working on silt
12.2 Attracting wildlife to silt lagoons
12.2.1
Estuarine silt
12.2.2 Freshwater
silt
12.2.3 Highly
organic silt
13. Ash (PFA) storage
13.1 Potential constraints associated
with PFA storage areas
13.1.1
Toxic and saline properties
13.1.2
Low nitrogen levels
13.1.3
Formation of solid sub-surface pans
13.1.4
Difficulties of working on PFA
13.1.5
Floating scum and dust formed by lightweight particles
13.2 Attracting wildlife to PFA
storage areas
13.2.1
Storage in lagoons
13.2.2
Storage in disused gravel pits
a) Floating islands
13.2.3
Storage in mounds
13.2.4
Orchid-rich grasslands
13.2.5
Creating artificial cliffs
14. Water treatment systems
14.1 Potential constraints
associated with wastewater treatment systems
14.1.1 Water quality
14.1.2
Land availability
14.1.3
Variable flows
14.2 Attracting wildlife to
water treatment systems
14.2.1 Reedbed treatment systems
a) Design and construction of reedbed systems
b) Increasing
the wildlife value of reedbed systems
14.2.2 Grass plots
14.2.3 Polishing lagoons
14.2.4 Sludge removal
15. Wetlands for drainage
15.1 Potential constraints
associated with drainage wetlands
15.1.1
Water quality
15.1.2
Fluctuating water levels and flows
15.1.3
High Flows
15.1.4 Land
ownership
15.2 Attracting wildlife to drainage areas
15.2.1
Improving water quality
15.2.2
Flood storage ponds and lakes
15.2.3
Drainage ditches
16. Reclaiming industrial land
16.1 Potential constraints associated
with reclamation sites
16.1.1 Substrate quality
a) Permeability
b) Plant growth medium
c) Contaminants
16.1.2 Acidity
16.1.3
Unpredictable volumes of materials
16.1.4
Deep and regular shaped excavations
16.1.5 Long timescales
16.2 Attracting wildlife to wetlands
created through site reclamation
16.2.1 Sand and gravel
extraction
16.2.2
Opencast coal
16.2.3
Clay extraction
16.2.4
Waste disposal sites
16.2.5
Sediment lagoons
16.2.6
Derelict sites
16.2.7
Subsidence pools and flashes
17. Non-operational land
17.1 Potential constraints associated with non-operational land
17.1.1 Future
land requirements
17.1.2
Staff perception of non-operational land
17.1.3 Contamination
17.2 Attracting wildlife to non operational
land
18. Looking to the future
18.1 The need for further
investigation
18.2 Future opportunities
APPENDICES (Key to the Appendices)
1. Trees and shrubs associated
with UK wetlands; characteristics and requirements
2. Submerged and floating aquatic
plants; requirements and values
3. Emergent and marginal wetland
plants; requirements and values
4. Birds of freshwater and estuarine
habitats; occurence and requirements
5. Commoner dragonflies of the UK;
habitat preferences
6. Commoner amphibians of the UK;
habitat preferences
7. NRA stream classification system
8. Earth-moving machinery;
characteristics
9. Contents for a full
management plan
10. Addresses of relevant organisations
11. Selected references and further reading
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