AUTHORS: Frank Nelson, Missouri Department of Conservation
ABSTRACT: Biodiversity loss, food insecurity, and climate change are inherently connected challenges. These threats and their potential solutions have both global and local significance. For example, wetlands, which are one of the most productive and biodiverse habitats, have been drastically reduced worldwide. This same food system that has contributed to wetland loss is itself quite fragile, as 75% of global food is dependent on only 12 crops and five animals. Without natural buffers, like wetlands, commodities within floodplains are at risk of natural hazards as the frequency and severity of droughts and floods are increasing worldwide. Finding solutions that are more resilient requires greater integration of social and ecological systems.
Zooming into the Midwest, the states like Ohio, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, and Missouri, have similarly lost the majority of their historic wetlands through agricultural conversion and urban development. The focal point to preserve what is left and make strides in wetland restoration for the past 90 years has been centered around concern for waterfowl populations and the tradition of hunting. Although progress has been made, this focus isn’t enough to offset on-going alterations, continuing pressures, and remaining separation of land and water.
Native wetland flora and fauna have deep cultural histories around the world and even here in the Midwest. Future wetland conservation cannot just occur in remote public places but must also be integrated into lived spaces. What if rather than just providing wildlife habitat, wetland management encapsulated the tending of water gardens? Perhaps by reframing our connections to wetlands, acknowledging overlooked histories, and including underserved communities we can identify new opportunities where diverse food systems, flood resiliency, and biodiversity can be better intertwined int the future. This presentation will introduce the idea of viewing wetlands as working water gardens rather than just marshes for waterfowl.
