W3 seminar: Wetland restoration strategies in agricultural landscapes for multi-ecosystem functions

Sustainable and resilient agricultural landscapes are critical to food security for a growing population, but must maintain vital ecosystem services including mitigating the impacts of climate change and provisioning clean water and biodiversity. Wetlands are pivotal in achieving these goals. Yet, more than 85% have been converted to row crop production or urbanization in the Midwest. Wetland creation and restoration have become recognized as a solution for improving downstream water quality, buffering flood and drought risks of climate change, and supporting biological diversity because they have disproportionate impacts on these ecological services. But there is increasing recognition that wetland designs need to be optimized to strategically achieve the greatest benefit. We have been working on these questions linking restoration design to ecosystem outcomes in mesocosms, lab-based experiments, and field-based monitoring. Our work is demonstrating how vegetation in these wetlands can drive rates of nitrogen and carbon cycling, specifically denitrification and methanogenesis. This supports restoration and conservation efforts with stakeholders to design and manage wetlands to better balance water quality and climate outcomes.