SYDNEY, July 17 (Xinhua) -- Restoring floodplain wetlands in Australia significantly cuts carbon emissions and improves flood and drought resilience within a year, new research said on Thursday.
Researchers from Australia's Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT University) studied restored and degraded floodplain wetlands along Australia's Loddon River in Victoria, finding rapid climate and water management benefits from restoration.
"Restoring wetlands could be a secret weapon against climate change," said the study's lead author Lukas Schuster from RMIT University's Center for Nature Positive Solutions.
Restored wetlands cut carbon emissions by 39 percent in a year and boosted soil carbon by 12 percent, all without the methane spike seen in peatland restorations, while unrestored sites saw emissions rise 169 percent and soil carbon fall 10 percent, the study showed.
Restored wetlands increased soil moisture by 55 percent, improving drought resilience and strengthening surface carbon storage, according to the study published in the London-based Journal of Environmental Management.
Restored wetlands saw a rebound in native plants and slower leaf litter decomposition, boosting soil carbon retention and increasing nitrogen by 45 percent, which improves water quality and reduces algal bloom risk, Schuster said.
Long-term benefits were confirmed by monitoring a wetland six years after its restoration: surface organic carbon stocks there had jumped by 53 percent, researchers said. ■
