Multifunctional Wetlands

This book describes how natural or constructed wetlands can be used to reduce pollution of freshwater and coastal ecosystems, while still preserving their biodiversity and ecological functions. Through a series of case histories described in 10 chapters in the monograph, the readers will gain an understanding of the opportunities, as well as the challenges associated with reducing point and non-point source pollution using natural, restored or constructed wetlands.  The target audience will be water practitioners involved in projects utilizing integrated watershed management approaches to pollution abatement, as well as researchers who are designing projects focused on this topic.

Author Biography

Nidhi Nagabhatla is a Programme Officer with the UN University – Institute for Water, Environment and Health.  She is a natural systems science specialist and a geospatial analyst and she has led, coordinated and implemented transdisciplinary projects and worked with multi-disciplinary research teams in various geographical regions and in varied thematic domains related to water and ecosystems, particularly in Asia, South Africa and West European regions. She has worked for more than 15 years with multiple international organizations (IWMI, World Fish Centre and IUCN), leading research and capacity development initiatives related to the themes of water and wetlands.

Chris Metcalfe is a Professor in the School of the Environment at Trent University in Canada and he is also a Senior Research Fellow with the UN University – Institute for Water, Environment and Health.  At Trent University, he is the Director of the Institute for Watershed Science, which coordinates research and capacity building projects involving both academic and government researchers. His area of expertise is the environmental fate and toxic effects of contaminants in the environment, including research on the removal of contaminants in constructed and natural wetland systems.