Waterfowl and Researchers Agree: Ducks Unlimited's Restored Wetlands Are As Good As Natural

Ducks Unlimited
Tuesday, 5 February 2002

In a study recently published in the Journal of Wildlife Management, researchers found that waterfowl and grassland birds use wetlands restored by Ducks Unlimited as much, if not more, than natural wetlands.

"This study is important because it provides tangible evidence that we can restore wetlands to their natural value to waterfowl and other wildlife," says Dr. Jim Ringelman, Senior Director of Planning and Conservation for Ducks Unlimited's Great Plains Regional Office.

Wildlife experts agree that habitat loss is the number-one factor limiting wildlife populations across North America. Wetlands are among the most productive wildlife habitats, but the United States has lost more than half of its original wetlands, and continues to lose more than 100,000 wetland acres every year.

"Our biologists and engineers have been restoring wetlands in the Prairie Pothole Region since 1984, and we constantly strive to refine our methods," says Ringelman. "Restoration ecology can be a tricky business, so it's nice to learn that our approaches work. The response of birds and other wildlife is our ultimate measure of success."

Dr. John Ratti, Research Professor in the University of Idaho's Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, led the study. "The primary reason for conducting this study was to see if DU's restored wetlands are functioning like natural wetlands," explains Ratti. "Given the millions of dollars spent on restoration, it's important to evaluate projects and ensure that every dollar is being spent well."

"Using avian communities as an indication of how those restored ecosystems are functioning, we know that DU's habitat restoration work is functioning as it should," says Ratti.

Ratti's team compared 39 wetlands restored by Ducks Unlimited to 39 natural wetlands, all of which were located in the Prairie Pothole Region (also known as "The Duck Factory") of North and South Dakota. The team paired each restored wetland with a nearby natural wetland of the same size, classification, and in the same geographical region. During the spring and summer of 1997 and '98, researchers counted and recorded waterfowl and upland birds and compared bird numbers, species numbers, and waterfowl-breeding pairs. The team concluded that, "restored wetlands in the Prairie Pothole Region supported similar avian communities with equal or higher abundances than those of natural wetlands."

Researchers were careful to compare restored wetlands to their most similar natural counterparts. "We did a number of things to ensure that our wetland comparisons were fair," explains Ratti. "Perhaps the most important thing was to very carefully look at historical records using the national wetland inventory mapping system to ensure that the natural wetlands in our study had never been manipulated in any way."

"We all lament the loss of wetlands," says Ratti, "but the good news is, we can turn this one around very quickly. That's the terrific thing about wetland restoration - DU can almost immediately return drained wetlands back to naturally functioning ecosystems."

For more information, or to contact Ducks Unlimited, see their website at: www.ducks.org