MU biologist provides broad definition of stream/wetland ecosystems
Research can help government establish regulations for responsible development

Although rivers, streams and connecting wetlands have federal protection, there currently is no protection for surrounding upland forests. Current federal regulations do not forbid a developer from building a shopping mall on the edge of a wetland or stream. Most state and local governments also do not prohibit such development, which negatively affects the quality of water and threatens the habitat of many animals. Recently, however, a few state and local governments and conscientious developers have worked to adopt ordinances that encourage environmentally responsible development. To help inform policy makers, a University of Missouri-Columbia researcher has completed a new study that offers biologically based criteria for policymakers to consider when drafting regulations for wetlands protection.

In an article published in the October 2003 issue of Conservation Biology, Raymond Semlitsch, a professor of Biological Sciences, provides an estimate of the geographic size of core habitats surrounding wetlands and streams. From a policy perspective, the research extends the traditionally accepted boundaries of amphibian and reptile habitats near wetlands and streams, but Semlitsch argues that the research isn’t meant to determine policy.

"I’m not saying that local or state officials should expand the areas in which developers are prohibited to build," says Semlitsch. "I’m simply trying to show what animals need to survive. This information should help policymakers arrive at a compromise. It’s meant to help strike a balance between land use and conservation."

Semlitsch’s work provides a clear delineation of the boundaries of wetlands buffers. In studying the breeding and nesting patterns of turtles, snakes, frogs and salamanders, Semlitsch found that the core habitat of these reptiles and amphibians reached 943 feet from a wetland or stream boundary. Semlitsch also identified a terrestrial buffer zone, which is an upland and, under normal conditions, dry area that extends another 163 feet from the edge of the core habitat. The core habitat is critically important to the animals’ life cycle, and it is recommended that the area remain protected.

The few ordinances and regulations currently enacted by state or local governments are designed to protect only water resources from sedimentation and chemical runoff. From a biological perspective, Semlitsch emphasizes that water resources cannot be protected without protecting the entire ecosystem, which includes not only water but the land where plants and animals live. In other words, the health of a wetland or stream depends on the health and biodiversity of the entire ecosystem.

"We need to think more broadly of what an ecosystem is," says Semlitsch. "If you’re protecting only water quality, you’re not really protecting the ecosystem."

2003

Additional links:

Semlitsch lab
Division of Biological Sciences

Society for Conservation Biology

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