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Sherren K, Ellis K, Guimond JA, Kurylyk B, LeRoux N, Lundholm J, Mallory ML, van Proosdij D, Walker AK, Bowron TM, Brazner J, Kellman L, Turner II BL, Wells E. Understanding multifunctional Bay of Fundy dykelands and tidal wetlands using ecosystem services—a baseline. Facets (Ott) 2021. [DOI: 10.1139/facets-2020-0073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
We review what is known about ecosystem service (ES) delivery from agricultural dykelands and tidal wetlands around the dynamic Bay of Fundy in the face of climate change and sea-level rise, at the outset of the national NSERC ResNet project. Agricultural dykelands are areas of drained tidal wetland that have been converted to agricultural lands and protected using dykes and aboiteaux (one-way drains or sluices), first introduced by early French settlers (Acadians). Today, Nova Scotia’s 242 km system of dykes protect 17,364 ha of increasingly diverse land uses—including residential, industrial, and commercial uses as well as significant tourism, recreational, and cultural amenities—and is undergoing system modernization and adaptation. Different ES are provided by drained and undrained landscapes such as agriculture from dykelands and regulating services from wetlands, but more complex dynamics exist when beneficiaries are differentiated. This review reveals many knowledge gaps about ES delivery and dynamics, including around net greenhouse gas implications, storm protection, water quality, fish stocks, pollination processes, sense of place, and aesthetics, some of which may reveal shared ES or synergies instead of trade-offs. We emphasize the need to be open to adapting ES concepts and categorizations to fully understand Indigenous implications of these land use decisions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kate Sherren
- School for Resource and Environmental Studies, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada
| | | | - Julia A. Guimond
- Department of Civil and Resource Engineering, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada
| | - Barret Kurylyk
- Department of Civil and Resource Engineering, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada
| | - Nicole LeRoux
- Department of Civil and Resource Engineering, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada
| | - Jeremy Lundholm
- CBWES Inc., Terence Bay, NS B3T 1X7, Canada
- Department of Biology, Saint Mary’s University, Halifax, NS B3H 3C3, Canada
| | - Mark L. Mallory
- Department of Biology, Acadia University, Wolfville, NS B4P 2R6, Canada
| | - Danika van Proosdij
- Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, Saint Mary’s University, Halifax, NS B3H 3C3, Canada
| | - Allison K. Walker
- Department of Biology, Acadia University, Wolfville, NS B4P 2R6, Canada
| | - Tony M. Bowron
- CBWES Inc., Terence Bay, NS B3T 1X7, Canada
- Department of Environmental Science, Saint Mary’s University, Halifax, NS B3H 3C3, Canada
| | - John Brazner
- Wildlife Division, Nova Scotia Department of Lands and Forestry, Kentville, NS B4N 4E5, Canada
| | - Lisa Kellman
- Department of Earth Sciences, St. Francis Xavier University, Antigonish, NS B2G 2W5, Canada
| | - B. L. Turner II
- School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning and School of Sustainability, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA
| | - Emily Wells
- School for Resource and Environmental Studies, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada
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