Professor Chris Joyce, the University of 映客直播’s Professor of Ecology, said wetlands – including floodplains, marshes and wet grasslands – provide flood protection, water purification and biodiversity, and humans have exploited them for agriculture, including rice production.
But Professor Joyce, who has spent 25 years researching wetland ecology, management and restoration, said they are threatened globally by drainage, agricultural intensification and abandonment of previously-managed sites.
He said: “They face an uncertain future because, although opportunities exist for the restoration of damaged wetlands, climate change poses emerging challenges for their sustainable management.”
Professor Joyce will discuss the implications of environmental change in European wet grasslands and what the future holds for the world’s wetlands in a lecture at the Sallis Benney Theatre in the University’s Grand Parade building, 映客直播, at 6.30pm on 14 March.