Deforestation not always bad news for wetlands

Deforestation is both a boon and a bane for wetlands, according to new research by The University of Queensland. The study found that human impacts on the environment, such as deforestation, do not always have negative consequences, and can provide positive outcomes for biodiversity. Study author Dr Craig Woodward, from UQ's School of Geography, Planning and Environmental Management , said many wetlands of international importance were formed or expanded in response to human clearance of forests. "We found that deforestation can significantly increase the amount of water flowing into wetlands and can even create new wetlands," he said. "In the past, wetland managers have focused mainly on how deforestation has increased catchment erosion and the transport of sediment and nutrients into wetlands. "Reforestation is a natural step towards wetland catchment restoration, but in some cases this could result in the disappearance of the very wetland that we seek to protect." The researchers analysed a global database of 245,000 wetlands and found that water levels in nine to 12 per cent, including 20 to 40 per cent of wetlands protected under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance , were increased due to human deforestation activities. They found that forest clearance increased the amount of water inflow to these wetland catchments by up to 15 per cent as forests act like "biological pumps" that increase the transport of water into the atmosphere and reduce the amount available to groundwater, rivers, and wetlands.