Wetland are critically important ecosystems, providing significant social, economic, and ecological benefits such as regulation of water quantity and quiality; habitat for water birds, fish, amphibians and invertebrates; resources to meet human needs; recreation and tourism. However, climate change will degrade these benefits. Climate change may lead to shifts in the geographical distribution of wetlands. Climate change will afftect wetlands throught sea-level rising; increased sea temperatures; changes in hydrology; increased temperature of wetkland water bodies; increase temperature in tundras and polar areas. Sea-level rise and increase in storm surges could result in erosion of shores and habitat; increased salinity of esturaies and freshwater aquifers’ altered tidal ranges in rivers and bays; changes in sediment and nutrient transport; increased coastal flooding; increase vulnerability of some populaons. Land-use change and water consumption pattern will accentuate climate change impactson wetlands. Althought wetland cover only a small portion of the world’s s land surface, they are siginificant carbon store globally. Conversion and degradation of wetlands release carbon and methane into the atmosphere in large quantities. Therefore, it is essentail to understand the multi-scale relationships between wetland ecosystems and climate change. Also, there is an urgent need to develop effective menagement strategies for conserving, maintaining and restoring wetland to avoid human-induced greenhouse gas emission.

This is an advanced-level course focusing on issues about wetlands and climate change, and the course content is extended from the basic course U4840 “Ecological Restoration of Wetland Ecosystems: Case Study & Analysis –I” which emphasizes on the fundamental concepts of wetland ecology and principles of ecological restoration.

The following topics will be covered:
-Climate change and humans
-Climate change and wetlands: patterns, processes and functions
-Integraded River Basin Mmanagement (IRBM) concepts
-Practical techniques to analyze wetland problems
-Introduction of ecolgical restoration techniques for degraded/damaged
wetlands
-Sustainable management strategies of wetlands