26327 The World Bank Water Resources and Environment Public Disclosure Authorized Technical Note G.3 Environment Department The World Bank 1818 H Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20433, U.S.A. www.worldbank.org For information on these publications contact the ESSD Advisory Service at [email protected] or call 202.522.3773 Public Disclosure Authorized Wetlands Management Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized Series Editors Richard Davis Rafik Hirji WATER RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENT TECHNICAL NOTE G.3 Wetlands Management SERIES EDITORS RICHARD DAVIS, RAFIK HIRJI The World Bank Washington, D.C. Water Resources and Environment Technical Notes A. Environmental Issues and Lessons Note A.1 Environmental Aspects of Water Resources Management Note A.2 Water Resources Management Policy Implementation: Early Lessons B. Institutional and Regulatory Issues Note B.1 Strategic Environmental Assessment: A Watershed Approach Note B.2 Water Resources Management: Regulatory Dimensions Note B.3 Regulations for Private Sector Utilities C. Environmental Flow Assessment Note C.1 Environmental Flows: Concepts and Methods Note C.2 Environmental Flows: Case Studies Note C.3 Environmental Flows: Flood Flows Note C.4 Environmental Flows: Social Issues D. Water Quality Management Note D.1 Water Quality: Assessment and Protection Note D.2 Water Quality: Wastewater Treatment Note D.3 Water Quality: Nonpoint-Source Pollution E. Irrigation and Drainage Note E.1 Irrigation and Drainage: Development Note E.2 Irrigation and Drainage: Rehabilitation F. Water Conservation and Demand Management Note F.1 Water Conservation: Urban Utilities Note F.2 Water Conservation: Irrigation Note F.3 Wastewater Reuse G. Waterbody Management Note G.1 Groundwater Management Note G.2 Lake Management Note G.3 Wetlands Management Note G.4 Management of Aquatic Plants H. Selected topics Note H.1 Interbasin Transfers Note H.2 Desalination Note H.3 Climate Variability and Climate Change Copyright © 2003 The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/THE WORLD BANK 1818 H Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20433, U.S.A. All rights reserved. Manufactured in the United States of America First printing March 2003 2 CONTENTS Foreword 5 Acknowledgments 7 Introduction 9 Types of Wetlands 11 Wetlands include such freshwater ecosystems as flood- Author plains, marshes, peatlands, swamp forests, and coastal Joop de Schutter ecosystems such as mangroves, estuaries, and open coasts. They are distinguished by the presence of water; Technical Adviser usually have unique soil conditions that differ from the Stephen Lintner adjacent areas; and support vegetation adapted to a dynamic hydrologic regime. Editor Robert Livernash Threats to Wetlands 11 Half of the world’s wetlands have disappeared since Production Staff 1900. Drainage for increased agriculture production Cover Design: Cathe Fadel is the principal cause. Other wetlands have been de- Design and Production: graded by pollution, invasive species, and alterations The Word Express, Inc. to flows. Many of these impacts originate from the upstream watershed. Notes Unless otherwise stated, Functions and Benefits of Wetlands 14 all dollars = U.S. dollars. Wetlands are some of the most productive ecosystems All tons are metric tons. on earth. They regulate water flows; control sediment and nutrient pollution; provide natural food and fiber for dependent communities; offer productive areas Cover photo by for agriculture and fishing; provide habitat for migra- World Bank tory birds and fish breeding; and support consider- Wetlands in sand dunes, able biodiversity. Namibia This series also is available on the Incorporating Wetlands Management World Bank website into Bank Projects 18 (www.worldbank.org). Effective protection and restoration of wetlands requires involving the various stakeholders; assessing a range of development options; attempting to place a value on the services provided by wetlands; and instituting a monitoring and assessment program. 3 WATER RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENT • TECHNICAL NOTE G.3 Constructed Wetlands 25 Wetlands can be constructed to provide specific ecosystem functions, particu5larly 5treating and recycling wastewater. Constructed wetlands offer considerable savings in wastewater treatment costs for small communities, as well as providing valuable habitat and areas for public education and recreation. Conclusion 26 Wetlands provide a wide range of ecological functions that support the liveli- hoods of local communities as well as provide regional and global benefits. There is an increasing appreciation of the value of wetlands. Many agencies, including the World Bank, are attempting to preserve and restore wetlands. Further Information 27 Boxes 1. Lake Naivasha: A case of natural pollution control 16 2. Ecotourism in the Ukraine Danube Delta Biodiversity Project 17 3. The Mahanadi Delta, Orissa, India 18 4. The Kihansi Hydro Project and the Spray Toad 20 5. The Pantanal 21 6. Wetland mitigation banking: An innovative approach 22 7. Restoring the deltaic wetlands of the Northern Aral Sea 23 8. Valuing ecosystem services: the Hadejia-Nguru Wetlands 23 9. Integrated coastal zone management indicators in the Baltic Sea region 24 Tables 1. Main wetland types 12 2. Main causes of wetlands loss 13 3. Functions of wetlands ecosystems 15 4. Driving Force Indicator Matrix 25 5. S-R Indicator Matrix 25 4 WETLANDS MANAGEMENT FOREWORD The environmentally sustainable development and priority in Bank lending. Many lessons have been management of water resources is a critical and learned, and these have contributed to changing complex issue for both rich and poor countries. It attitudes and practices in World Bank operations. is technically challenging and often entails difficult trade-offs among social, economic, and political Water resources management is also a critical de- considerations. Typically, the environment is treated velopment issue because of its many links to pov- as a marginal issue when it is actually key to sus- erty reduction, including health, agricultural tainable water management. productivity, industrial and energy development, and sustainable growth in downstream communi- According to the World Bank’s recently approved ties. But strategies to reduce poverty should not lead Water Resources Sector Strategy, “the environment to further degradation of water resources␣ or eco- is a special ‘water-using sector’ in that most envi- logical services. Finding a balance between these ronmental concerns are a central part of overall objectives is an important aspect of the Bank’s in- water resources management, and not just a part terest in sustainable development. The 2001 Envi- of a distinct water-using sector” (World Bank 2003: ronment Strategy underscores the linkages among 28). Being integral to overall water resources man- water resources management, environmental agement, the environment is “voiceless” when other sustainability, and poverty, and shows how the 2003 water using sectors have distinct voices. As a con- Water Resources Sector Strategy’s call for using sequence, representatives of these other water us- water as a vehicle for increasing growth and re- ing sectors need to be fully aware of the importance ducing poverty can be carried out in a socially and of environmental aspects of water resources man- environmentally responsible manner. agement for the development of their sectoral in- terests. Over the past few decades, many nations have been subjected to the ravages of either droughts or floods. For us in the World Bank, water resources man- Unsustainable land and water use practices have agement—including the development of surface and contributed to the degradation of the water resources groundwater resources for urban, rural, agriculture, base and are undermining the primary investments energy, mining, and industrial uses, as well as the in water supply, energy and irrigation infrastruc- protection of surface and groundwater sources, ture, often also contributing to loss of biodiversity. pollution control, watershed management, control In response, new policy and institutional reforms of water weeds, and restoration of degraded eco- are being developed to ensure responsible and sus- systems such as lakes and wetlands—is an impor- tainable practices are put in place, and new predic- tant element of our lending, supporting one of the tive and forecasting techniques are being developed essential building blocks for sustaining livelihoods that can help to reduce the impacts and manage and for social and economic development in gen- the consequences of such events. The Environment eral. Prior to 1993, environmental considerations and Water Resources Sector Strategies make it clear of such investments were addressed reactively and that water must be treated as a resource that spans primarily through the Bank’s safeguard policies. The multiple uses in a river basin, particularly to main- 1993 Water Resources Management Policy Paper tain sufficient flows of sufficient quality at the ap- broadened the development focus to include the propriate times to offset upstream abstraction and protection and management of water resources in pollution and sustain the downstream social, eco- an environmentally sustainable, socially acceptable, logical, and hydrological functions of watersheds and economically efficient manner as an emerging and wetlands. 5 WATER RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENT • TECHNICAL NOTE G.3 With the support of the Government of the Nether- The Notes are in eight categories: