In this study, we have re-estimated the 2011 global monetary values of natural wetland ecosystem services using new information on the areas of different coastal and inland wetland classes, and included estimates for forested wetlands. The 2011 global monetary value of natural wetland ecosystem services is now estimated at Int$47.4 trillion per year, 43.5% of the value of all natural biomes. Despite forming only ~15% of global natural wetland area, coastal wetlands are estimated to deliver 43.1% (Int$20.4 trillion per year) of the total global ecosystem services monetary value of all natural wetland classes. There is a need to further refine these value estimates by factoring in other determinants of wetland ecosystem service monetary value, by disaggregating unit monetary values to each wetland class and by updating unit monetary values with more recent sources, especially for ecosystem services with no, or few, value estimates.
Abstract. Rewetting of long-term drained fens often results in the formation of eutrophic shallow lakes with an average water depth of less than 1 m. This is accompanied by a fast vegetation shift from cultivated grasses via submerged hydrophytes to helophytes. As a result of rapid plant dying and decomposition, these systems are highly dynamic wetlands characterised by a high mobilisation of nutrients and elevated emissions of CO 2 and CH 4 . However, the impact of specific plant species on these phenomena is not clear. Therefore we investigated the CO 2 and CH 4 production due to the subaqueous decomposition of shoot biomass of five selected plant species which represent different rewetting stages (Phalaris arundinacea, Ceratophyllum demersum, Typha latifolia, Phragmites australis and Carex riparia) during a 154 day mesocosm study. Beside continuous gas flux measurements, we performed bulk chemical analysis of plant tissue, including carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and plant polymer dynamics. Plant-specific mass losses after 154 days ranged from 25 % (P. australis) to 64 % (C. demersum). Substantial differences were found for the CH 4 production with highest values from decomposing C. demersum (0.4 g CH 4 kg −1 dry mass day) that were about 70 times higher than CH 4 production from C. riparia. Thus, we found a strong divergence between mass loss of the litter and methane production during decomposition. If C. demersum as a hydrophyte is included in the statistical analysis solely nutrient contents (nitrogen and phosphorus) explain varying greenhouse gas production of the different plant species while lignin and polyphenols demonstrate no significant impact at all. Taking data of annual biomass production as important carbon source for methanogens into account, high CH 4 emissions can be expected to last several decades as long as inundated and nutrient-rich conditions prevail. Different restoration measures like water level control, biomass extraction and top soil removal are discussed in the context of mitigation of CH 4 emissions from rewetted fens.
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