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Table of Contents
Introduction
Introduction
Rewilding aquatic ecosystems comes with a unique set of challenges, made even more unique by the many types of terrain and water currents that characterize these spaces.
Safety Challenges
Safety Challenges
Those working in rewilding always need to stay cautious about dangerous locations and poisonous or venomous organisms, but wave action, fast changing tides, flash floods, and other uniquely aquatic dangers can quickly overpower even the strongest and most experienced swimmers. Safety gear, appropriate training, and buddy systems can help keep the whole team safer, keeping us alive to continue helping the planet.
Ponds & Lakes
Ponds & Lakes
Ponds are vital habitats for many species. Some ponds exist year round, while others disappear during certain seasons. In countries like the UK, many ponds have disappeared due to sedimentation, but by using historical maps, we've been able to locate these spaces, excavate them, and when refilled with water, long-lost aquatic plants have re-sprouted.
Ponds can be protected by removing invasive species, planting protective barriers of trees or smaller plants to prevent run off entering the ecosystem, and so on. It is not recommended to use pesticides or herbicides in or around ponds as these harm delicate species throughout the food web, with aquatic species being some of the most delicate.
Europe
Europe
UK
UK
Amphibian Habitat Management Handbook "is a resource for a range of range of users including conservation professionals and interested volunteers." ... "The natterjack is a conservation priority and a habitat specialist with very different ecological requirements to the other native amphibians. Hence a section of the handbook is dedicated to this species. The pool frog is currently subject to a reintroduction project and is not covered by the current handbook."
Rivers & Waterways
Rivers & Waterways
Headwaters, streams, gullies, rivers, and other types of waterways are under increasing threat from run off pollution, illegal dumping, bank erosion, and over extraction of water. Another threat comes in the form of obstructions such as dams which prevent migratory species such as salmon or eels from navigating between feeding and breeding locations.
Shoreline
Shoreline
Shorelines can include waterway, lakeside, pondside, bay and ocean shorelines. These are particularly important biologically speaking as a good representation of edge effect (a location where multiple biomes interact, providing opportunities for feeding, mating, and other activities that may be less likely in other locations). Shorelines are also important as they take the brunt of extreme weather events. A healthy, intact shoreline can protect homes, communities, and farmland from serious flooding, but man-made structures, livestock grazing, and removal of plants or corals can result in accelerated erosion, putting people and their prosperities at massive risk of harm or loss.
Click the Shorelines button to learn more about protecting and rebuilding shorelines.
Kelp Forests
Kelp Forests
We haven't gathered much information for this section yet, but found this article and map interesting. Demonstrating the economic value of kelp forests may be useful during marine spatial planning, in order to gain legal protections for these important carbon sinks and ecosystems.
Seagrass Meadows
Seagrass Meadows
"Seagrass communities are highly productive and dynamic ecosystems. Seagrasses are not true grasses but rooted vascular (flowering) plants of terrestrial origin that have successfully returned to the sea. This return needs several adaptations that allow them to live in submerged ocean regions. The sediments where they settle on can be muddy, rocky or sandy. Seagrass ecosystems are species-rich and include endangered species such as dugongs and seahorses. They are important for the geomorphology and ecology of coastal ecosystems through processes such as stabilizing sediments, recycling nutrients and providing the base of the oceanic detrital food webs. Although seagrasses cover only 0.15% of the oceans, they represent more than 1 percent of the total marine primary production, potentially acting as a sink for CO2 [1]. Currently, they are facing many threats, due to human activities and natural causes [2] "
Reefs
Reefs
Reefs provide vital habitat and breeding grounds for a variety of species.
Ocean Reefs
Ocean Reefs
Freshwater Reefs
Freshwater Reefs
Organizations
Organizations
Europe
Europe
UK
UK
JBA Trust "We are a charity that aims to improve people's resilience to risks in the water environment by enabling research, education and engagement"
Tools
Tools
Europe
Europe
UK
UK
Northern Ireland
CEDaR (Center for Environmental Data and Recording) Online Recording Click the link to see what projects are available. They have specific links for Owls, Butterflies, Marine, Invasive Species, Lady Birds and more! Some of the links will take you to projects for specific regions including the Ring of Gullion and Belfast Hills.
Scotland
SMEEF Restoration Toolkit "Whether you are starting your first coastal or marine restoration or enhancement project, or have been working on an established programme, this toolkit aims to guide you through the maze of supporting information available.
Each section covers the key facts and there are links to the latest advice. The Toolkit also enables you to create a bespoke action list for your group.
Please note this toolkit is a live document and will be updated regularly. If you believe there may be something missing or incorrect, please email us..."
North America
North America
Canada
Canada
Alberta
Indicators for Assessing Environmental Performance of Watersheds in Southern Alberta (PDF) This gives general guidance, but doesn't focus much on specific species.
Resources
Resources
North America
North America
USA
USA
California
State Wildlife Action Plan "A plan for conserving California's wildlife resources while responding to environmental challenges"
Training Opportunities
Training Opportunities
North America
North America
BeaverCorps Program "Training Beaver Wetland Professionals" "The Beaver Institute is proud to offer the first and only professional, non-lethal beaver management course. The online classes and field work are personally mentored by Beaver Institute President, Mike Callahan. All students learn the same successful, innovative beaver management techniques that he has successfully used since 1998 to resolve over 1,900 beaver-human conflicts."
USA
Michigan
The Certified Natural Shoreline Professional (CNSP) training was created to provide contractors and landscape professionals with the information and skills they need to design and implement lake healthy erosion control using natural materials and bio-engineering practices to protect Michigan's inland lakes.
Marine Spatial Planning
Marine Spatial Planning
Examples
Examples
North America
North America
Gitdisdzu Lugyeks (Kitasu Bay) Marine Protected Area is the first indigenous planned and lead example of marine spatial planning, as the Canadian government continued to pull out of plans, leaving the community frustrated after 20 years of unproductive talks. The area is protected by the Coastal Guardian Watchmen.
Organizations
Organizations
North America
North America
Coastal Guardian Watchmen "provide a regional stewardship focus, each Nation monitors and stewards its own territory, carrying on its unique stewardship traditions."
International
International
The Rewilding Institute "We live for the day when Gray Wolves and Grizzly Bears have connected habitat from Mexico to Alaska, when Pumas have reclaimed their homelands East and West, when salmon and other migratory fish swim freely up and down our continents’ rivers, when the oceans are teeming with whales and sharks, and when all native species regain natural patterns of abundance and distribution."
Europe
Europe
OSPAR "is the mechanism by which 15 Governments & the EU cooperate to protect the marine environment of the North-East Atlantic.
OSPAR started in 1972 with the Oslo Convention against dumping and was broadened to cover land-based sources of marine pollution and the offshore industry by the Paris Convention of 1974. These two conventions were unified, up-dated and extended by the 1992 OSPAR Convention. The new annex on biodiversity and ecosystems was adopted in 1998 to cover non-polluting human activities that can adversely affect the sea.
The fifteen Governments are Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and United Kingdom.
OSPAR is so named because of the original Oslo and Paris Conventions ("OS" for Oslo and "PAR" for Paris)."
North America
North America
USA
USA
Choose Clean Water Coalition "has harnessed the collective power of more than 300 organizations to advocate for clean rivers and streams in all communities in the Chesapeake Bay region. By coordinating policy, messaging, action, and accountability, the Coalition speaks louder with one voice toward our collective goal—clean water."
NEMESIS "Welcome to the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center's National Estuarine and Marine Exotic Species Information System (NEMESIS). Here you will find information on marine and estuarine invertebrates and algae introduced to the United States."
USGS Wetland and Aquatic Research Center "WARC conducts relevant and objective research, develops new approaches and technologies, and disseminates scientific information needed to understand, manage, conserve, and restore wetlands and other aquatic and coastal ecosystems and their associated plant and animal communities throughout the nation and the world."
Oceana
Oceana
Australia
Australia
OZ Fish "Through the power of many, we are delivering fish habitat rehabilitation projects across Australia. Our network of recreational fishers brings the right expertise to the table and activates local organisations. When you become an OzFish member you can connect with your local chapter and become part of protecting our native fish and habitat. Because healthier waterways will mean more fish and better fishing."
Maps
Maps
Maps are critical for this type of project. Migration maps can help conservationists work out which places need to be protected and which can be made safer during seasonal journeys. Maps that track where injuries and fatalities are most common are also of great value. Each species movements are unique, but this section is intended aid in the planning process.
International
International
Aquatic Ecosystems
Aquatic Ecosystems
Map of Warm Water Coral Reef Types "This interactive map shows the locations of different types of coral reefs around the world. Shallow bottom waters (above 200m) are represented with white. Blue color represents waters with more than 200m depth. Other colors represent different types of Coral Reefs."
Marine Traffic (Interactive) See what types of vessel are at sea, dock or traveling waterways.
Marine Vessel Traffic Tracker (Interactive) See what types of vessel are at sea, dock or traveling waterways.
Seminal Study Maps Impacts of Wastewater on Coastal Ecosystems Most of the maps in this link focus only on ocean impacts. One map shows humanity's impacts on both ocean and on-land water bodies.
Oceans
Oceans
Deepwater Horizon Project Tracker "provides an easy and comprehensive way to track restoration, research, and recovery projects resulting from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill."
Mapping Global Inputs and Impacts from of Human Sewage in Coastal Ecosystems
Marine Traffic (Interactive) See what types of vessel are at sea, dock or traveling waterways.
Marine Vessel Traffic Tracker (Interactive) See what types of vessel are at sea, dock or traveling waterways.
Ocean Sewage Alliance: Overview global map shows locations of coral as well as sewage impact locations.
North America
North America
Deepwater Horizon Project Tracker "provides an easy and comprehensive way to track restoration, research, and recovery projects resulting from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill."
USA
USA
Chesapeake Commons: Choose Clean Water Map (Interactive) find different organizations based on type, size, and location. Click the location markers to see group details including links to their websites.
Stormwater Management and Restoration Tracking (SMART) Tool (Interactive) Tool tracks storm water management practices in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed which spans, Delaware, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia
Grants & Funding
Grants & Funding
Europe
Europe
UK
UK
The National Trust: Freshwater Community Grant Fund "Grants of £500 to £5,000 are available for initiatives that create, look after or improve local freshwater habitats and provide opportunities for people to connect with nature."
Scotland
SMEEF Restoration Toolkit "Whether you are starting your first coastal or marine restoration or enhancement project, or have been working on an established programme, this toolkit aims to guide you through the maze of supporting information available.
Each section covers the key facts and there are links to the latest advice. The Toolkit also enables you to create a bespoke action list for your group.
Please note this toolkit is a live document and will be updated regularly. If you believe there may be something missing or incorrect, please email us..."
North America
North America
USA
USA
The Financial Incentives Database (FIND) "tool was developed by ISAP to share financial payment opportunities that are available for adopting conservation practices such as cover crops, saturated buffers, and constructed wetlands. By listing program information side-by-side, the FIND tool allows farmers to compare programs and select the option that is best for their operation.
Information in this tool is current as of June 1, 2024. Information may have changed since that time. Users are encouraged to confirm the latest information through the organization’s website. The information in this tool will be updated on an annual basis.
Begin by entering basic information about your farm location, production type, and conservation goals."
Minnesota
Stewardship Fund Grants "support public efforts to manage stormwater, control pollution, and improve water quality and habitat."
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