Ecological aesthetic assessment of a rebuilt wetland restored from farmland and management implications for National Wetland Parks

While wetlands are usually used as a natural approach to remove biodegradable pollutants in surface water, their purification efficiencies coupled with their aesthetic features are of less concern. The water quality, plant landscape, acoustic environment and odour indicators were investigated in the...

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Published in:	PloS one 2019-10, Vol.14 (10), p.e0223661-e0223661
Main Authors:	Sun, Mingyang, Tian, Xue, Zou, Yuanchun, Jiang, Ming
Format:	Article
Language:	eng
Subjects:	Acoustic coupling Agricultural land Agricultural production Analysis of Variance Aquatic Organisms - physiology Aquatic plants Biodegradability Biodegradation Biological Oxygen Demand Analysis China Earth Sciences Ecological monitoring Ecology Ecology and Environmental Sciences Endangered species Esthetics Farm management Farmlands Farms Geography Indicators Indigenous plants Laboratories Landscape Lotus Lotus (Nelumbo) Mathematical analysis Nitrogen Nitrogen - analysis Odor Organic carbon Parks Parks & recreation areas Parks, Recreational Phosphorus Phosphorus removal Physical Sciences Plants Pollutant removal Pollutants Purification Seasons Surface flow Surface water Water Water analysis Water Pollutants, Chemical - isolation & purification Water pollution Water purification Water Quality Water resources Water sampling Water treatment Wetland agriculture Wetland management Wetlands Wildlife conservation
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Summary:	While wetlands are usually used as a natural approach to remove biodegradable pollutants in surface water, their purification efficiencies coupled with their aesthetic features are of less concern. The water quality, plant landscape, acoustic environment and odour indicators were investigated in the surface water inlet and outlet of the Fujin National Wetland Park (FNWP), restored from farmlands in Northeast China. Major concentrations of pollutants in the inlet and the outlet subjected to surface flow wetland treatment were monitored, and the removal efficiencies were calculated based on 54 water samples (6 sites×3 seasons×3 replicates). The results showed that the total nitrogen (TN) and organic carbon in surface water decreased significantly after the wetland treatment, while the total phosphorus (TP) did not decrease significantly. The removal efficiencies for TN and BOD5 changed seasonally and reached 69.08% and 60.44%, respectively. An ecological aesthetic index (EAI) was developed based on the trophic state index coupled with plant landscape, acoustic and odour indicators, and the calculated EAI showed that the outlet delivered a more aesthetically harmonious appearance than the inlet in spring and autumn, but not in summer. Based on the current aquatic macrophyte species and documented purification efficiencies in FNWP, we recommend an improved ecological aesthetic management approach that utilizes and arranges diverse native plants from the surrounding wetlands (e.g. Scirpus validus) in addition to local Nelumbo nucifera, Nymphaea tetragona and Myriophyllum spicatum, and conserves the indicative and endangered species (Aldrovanda vesiculosa), from the visual appeal of the waterscape.
ISSN:	1932-6203 1932-6203