Problem Statement:

Over the past years wetlands have been declining tremendously in the United States,
specifically marshes. To preserve marshes sustainability, the use of non-renewable resources
must be greatly reduced. Some plants and animals have made specific adaptations to live in such
environments, which limits them to only live in those environments. Movements have been taken
to protect the wetlands, and the endangered animals who only survive in those specific habitats,
but since rebuilding marshes is must too costly, there might not be a way to undo what has been
done. Marshes are extremely necessary factors in the environment, and people should consider
the consequences of destroying those habitats.
The 4th Axiom, which says that to be sustainable, the use of non-renewable resources must
proceed at a rate that is declining, and the rate or decline must be greater than the rate of incline
for renewable resources.
Search Statements: Marshes and Conservation and Degradation // 10,410 results
Marshes and conservation // 46,337 results
Annotations:
Annotation 1:
Ibarra-Obando, SE; Poumian-Tapia, M; and Morzaria-Luna, HN. 2010. Long-Term Effects of
Tidal Exclusion on Salt Marsh Plain Species at Estero de Punta Banda, Baja California. Estuaries
and Coasts. 33.
In a study of tidal exclusion over 22 years, soil characteristics in Estero de Punta Banda,
Baja California, and Mexico have changed. Many factors play into the degradation of non-tidal

marshes, such as natural disturbances. In non-tidal marshes the moisture has decreased, which
has led to the loss of seven species in that site. This is important to my topic because this journal
focuses on more than just human impacts on marshes, but rather environmental impacts that have
led to its degradation.

Annotation 2:
Greenberg, R., J.E. Maldando, S. Droege, and M.V. McDonald. August 2006. Tidal Marshes: A
Global Perspective on the Evolution and Conservation of Their Terrestrial Vertebrates.
BioScience. 56:675-685
Along North American coastlines, tidal marshlands have many different aquatic and nonaquatic (very few non- aquatic) species living among them. Unique adaptations to these
environments by species have exponentially helped them live in these environments. The
adaptations that have occurred over the years restrict some of the subspecies in the tidal marshes
to only live in those certain environments. Human changes to the tidal marshes threaten the
livelihood of those adapters. This is important to my topic because it shows the importance of
marshes to species that have adapted to these specific climates and environments, which if we
dont protect, they could go extinct.
Annotation 3:
Silliman, B.R., Van de Koppel, J, McCoy, M.W., Diller, J., Kasozi, G.N., Earl, K., Adams, P.N.,
and A. R. Zimmerman. July 2012. Degradation and resilience in Louisiana salt marshes after the

BP- Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the
United States of America. 109.
Pollution is one of the major environmental stressors which can cause rapid degradation
of certain local habitats, such as salt marshes. In 2010 the BP- Deepwater Horizon oil spill
released an estimated 4.9 billion barrels into the Gulf of Mexico waters. The oil lined the about
75 km across the coast of Louisiana, which not only caused damage to the habitats, but to the
$10 billion in revenue the state makes from fishery and tourism. This is relevant to my topic
because the article outlines not only the importance marshes are to species living there, but also
to humans.
Annotation 4:
Huerta-Ramos, G., Moreno- Casasola, P., and Sosa, V. 2015. Wetland Conservation in the Gulf of
Mexico: The Example of the Salt Marsh Morning Glory, Ipomoea sagittata. Wetlands. 35.
Research supports the idea that human activity, including pollution, has resulted in
climate change, which in turn could increasingly cause the degradation of wetlands and marshes
(i.e. rising sea levels; erosion; flooding). The observation of the salt marsh morning glory,
Ipomoea sagittata, will help to understand the effect an increase in global warming (and rising
sea levels) will have on aquatic plants. In the year 2080, there potentially will be a loss of
suitable habitats for species such as the Ipomoea sagittata. This is important to my topic to only
further conclude that humans are having a pollutant effect on the environment, which is leading
to the degradation of many habitats.

Annotation 5:
Zhou, D., H. Gong, Y. Wang, S, Khan, and K. Zhao. 2009. Driving Forces for the Marsh Wetland
Degradation in the Honghe National Reserve in Sanjiang Plain, Northeast China. Environment
Modeling and Assesment. 14.
In this article, the Honghe National Nature Reserve has been measuring the degradation
of marshes by environmental and human factors over the years. Research has shown that wetland
degradation will inadvertently threaten human sustainability, which brings awareness to the
subject. One of the key reasons for this degradation is the lack of water, which directly correlates
with human activities, warming weather, and little precipitation. This is important to my topic
because it focuses more on both the environmental factors that lead to marsh degradation, and
human activities that also have affected marsh life over the course of many years.
Annotation 6:
Perry, J.E., and R.G. Atkinson. 2009. York River Tidal Marshes. Journal of Coastal Research. 57.
There are many important functions of tidal marshes, specifically on the York River.
Those of which include habitats for over 50 different species, filtering pollution, trapping
sediments (and etc). Tidal marshes prevent much shore erosion by taking on incoming wave
energy from the ocean. Tidal marshes are extremely vital to the environment and the animals
living off those ecosystems. This article is important to my topic because it stresses the
prominence of tidal marshes to the environment, to humans, and animals.
Annotation 7:

Palaima, A. 2012. Ecology, conservation, and restoration of tidal marshes: the San Francisco
estuary. University of California Press, Berkeley, United States.
Ecology, conservation, and restoration of tidal marshes: the San Fransisco estuary
expands on specifically the watershed that drain towards the San Francisco bay, which after the
gold rush of the 1840s, humans made detrimental impacts on the estuary and its tidal marshes.
The major causes of change in the estuary system are covered throughout the chapters,
referencing the rising sea levels, pollution, and introduced species (etc.). The focus of this novel
is to bring awareness to the extreme reduction of wetlands in this region, and conservation efforts
that can be made to help prevent the loss of any more of those ecosystems. This is relevant to my
topic because it covers the conservation efforts that have been, and need to be made in
California.
Annotation 8:
Altieri, A.H., M.D. Bertness, T.C. Axelman, E.E. Herrmann, N.C. Szathmary, and P. Lauren.
2013. Feedbacks underlie the resilience of salt marshes and rapid reversal of consumer-driven
die-off. Ecology. 94(7):1647-1657
Engineering a recovery zone would be beneficial to the marsh life. Studies show that
engineering revegetation is capable of reestablishing cordgrass in New England salt marshes,
which helps prevent bank erosion, and life starts to thrive again (and etc.). Feedback, the
engineered recovery zone, can rapidly reverse the ecosystem shifts made by human impacts. This
is the resilience theory. This is relevant to my topic because it theorizes a possible conservation
and restoration attempt on the New England salt marshes which have exponentially declined
over the years.

Annotation 9:
Lavoie, C., P. Grosvernier, M. Girard, and K. Marcoux. 2003. Spontaneous revegetation of
mined peatlands: An useful restoration tool? Wetlands Ecology and Management. 11: 97-107.
The appliance of restoration activities to degraded environments has specifically been
experimented with the peatlands throughout North America and Europe by bog plants. The bog
plants have the ability to stabilize the soil surface, and boost the regrowth of other plant species.
The block-cut peatland sites are much more capable of reestablishing the plant life, while the
vacuum-mined peatland sites have much slower recovery, which is directly correlated with the
drainage required for the vacuum machines. This article is relevant to my topic because it
focuses on the success of revegetation even in industrialized regions.
Annotation 10:
Guillozet, P., K. Smith, and K. Guillozet. 2014. The Rapid Riparian Revegetation Approach.
Ecological Restoration. 32: 113-124.
The native riparian vegetation decline has led to the introduction of invasive species,
which has provided only negative consequences for river and flood plan dynamics (Trophic
interactions, water quality, riparians system ability to buffer climate change consequences, etc.)
This Rapid Riparian Revegetation Approach is designed to mimic reference site conditions. This
article focuses on the recourses required for the project, the costs (approximately $11,000 to
$20,000 per hectare over six to seven years), monitor the outcomes, and share the lessons learned
from this revegetation project. The focus of this project is restoration in Oregons Willamette
Basin, and is relevant to my topic because it focuses on not only the effects of revegetation, but
the efficiency of the project.