Big Wetlands, Big Concerns

Wetlands belong to the most threatened ecosystems worldwide, as clearly demonstrated bythe tremendous deterioration and loss of small and medium-sized wetlands all over the globe. At the first glance, large wetlands seem to be better protected against human impactby their large extension, and, certainly, they have a greater buffer capacity against manyhuman activities that threaten small wetlands. However, they suffer additional different typesof threats because human populations inside the wetlands and mainly in their vast catchments are much larger and their activities more diversified. Therefore, efficient protection requires complex, long term management plans not only for the wetlands but forthe entire catchment areas. The elaboration of such management strategies often requireagreements between states or countries. These agreements should include not only a widerange of activities that may affect the wetlands directly and indirectly, such as the use of water and soils, the development of industries and infrastructure, waste treatment and disposal, but also harmonization of environmental legislation for an efficient protection of thebiota. The 8th INTECOL Congress in Cuiaba is a proper forum to call, among other aspectsof wetland ecology, special attention to these problems, because the Pantanal and its catchment are shared by three countries (Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay), while two othercountries (Uruguay and Argentina) participate downstream on the middle and lower Parana/Paraguay River, being therefore, thus to be affected by any major modifications within the Pantanal upstream.

Preliminary for conference topics

Amazonian Wetlands
Biogeochemical cycles of wetlands
Carbon Cycle
Climate changes in wetlands
Community based management
Comparative studies of tropical and temperate wetlands
Comparison among Wetlands: Long term ecological studies
Conceptual approaches to wetland ecology and management
Conservation policies and strategies
Environmental education and wetland protection
Food webs and ecosystems functions and proprieties
Hydrology of wetlands
Impacts of large development projects
Impacts of other management forms (fisheries, cattle ranching etc)
Invasive species in wetlands and their control
Larges wetlands
Modeling ecological processes in wetlands
Modern wetland management
Primary production and decomposition
Sustainable Wetlands
Threats to wetlands
Traditional wetland management
Wetland biodiversity
Wetland education
Wetland organisms and communities I (plants)
Wetland organisms and communities II (animals)
Wetland policies and regulations
Wetland related diseases and parasites, and their control
Wetland restoration, rehabilitation, enhancement and mitigation
Wetlands and eco-tourism
Wetlands and global climate change

FIRST NEWSLETTER in PDF File


Contact Information
E-mail Address: [email protected]
Official Website: www.cppantanal.org.br/intecol