Constructed Wetlands and Sustainable Development

This book explains how with careful planning and design, the functions and performance of constructed wetlands can provide a huge range of benefits to humans and the environment. With functions ranging from habitat enhancement, food production, recreation, wastewater treatment and stormwater management, the best constructed wetlands are multi-functional systems that provide ecosystem services in every category - provisioning, regulating, cultural and supporting

Because constructed wetlands are complex natural systems this book emphasizes the interdisciplinary efforts required to plan, engineer, design and monitor them. Sections address resource management (landscape planning), technical issues (environmental engineering), recreation planning and physical design (landscape architecture) and biological systems (ecology). Additionally, a number of planning and application scales will be addressed as constructed wetlands can be part of a national strategy of flood management or the stormwater treatment implemented on a residential parcel. Included throughout are case studies from the US, Europe and China, which show how these principles have been put into practice.

Written for upper level students and practitioners, this highly illustrated book provides designers with the tools they need to ensure constructed wetlands are sustainably created and well managed.