Despite the large amount of research on wetlands restoration, most of the
information comes from temperate freshwater wetlands, and research on tropical
interdune wetlands is limited. We present in this chapter the results of a 4-year
study monitoring the effects of an induced hydroperiod change to promote the
recovery of the vegetation in a tropical interdune wetland in central Veracruz,
Mexico. The primary objective was to restore native wetland plant communities
and control the invader, Echinochloa pyramidalis (antelope grass), an African
grass introduced for cattle forage. A monitoring program was initiated in 2007 to
assess the first phase of restoration, which involved blocking the drain of the
wetland to increase the hydroperiod (i.e., the depth and duration of flooding).
Distribution and density of the exotic grass, as well as desirable wetland plant
assemblages, were examined relative to increasing hydroperiod and biomass
destruction of the invading plant, and their response to the subsequent normalization of the flooding events. The first set of results of this study was published in
López Rosas et al. (2010).
16.2 Methods
16.2.1 Study Site
The restoration was conducted in a dune slack dominated by herbaceous vegetation with the presence of some isolated trees. This marsh has an area of 2.6 ha and
is within a private reserve (Coastal Research Center ‘‘La Mancha’’, Institute of
Ecology A. C.) on the central coast of Veracruz, Gulf of Mexico (19°35
0 45
00 N,
96°23
0 05
00 W, Fig. 16.1). In this region the climate is warm sub-humid with summer rains, ranging from June to September and a period of relative drought
(midsummer) in August and a dry season (January–May). The mean annual precipitation is 1,286 mm. Seventy-eight percent of the total annual rainfall occurs
between June and September. The mean monthly temperature fluctuates between
21.1 °C in January and 27.3 °C in June.
The dune slack under restoration was modified in the early 1970s to create nine
wetland farming plots (chinampas) to grow vegetables, covering an area of 729 m
2
(López Martínez 1985). To build chinampas, farmers need to raise the ground level to
reduce flooding and build canals to maintain aquatic fauna and fish production.
On the eastern site edge, five ponds for aquaculture were built by excavating the soil
and sediments. This historical land use resulted in a microsite with high heterogeneity, with areas permanently inundated with freshwater saturation prevailing. Also,
the vegetation of the region was modified by the introduction of African grasses,
mainly Panicum maximum, Cynodon dactylon, and E. pyramidalis. The latter species
has been widely introduced, behaving as an invasive species in wetlands. The site
16 Interdune Wetland Restoration
257
information comes from temperate freshwater wetlands, and research on tropical
interdune wetlands is limited. We present in this chapter the results of a 4-year
study monitoring the effects of an induced hydroperiod change to promote the
recovery of the vegetation in a tropical interdune wetland in central Veracruz,
Mexico. The primary objective was to restore native wetland plant communities
and control the invader, Echinochloa pyramidalis (antelope grass), an African
grass introduced for cattle forage. A monitoring program was initiated in 2007 to
assess the first phase of restoration, which involved blocking the drain of the
wetland to increase the hydroperiod (i.e., the depth and duration of flooding).
Distribution and density of the exotic grass, as well as desirable wetland plant
assemblages, were examined relative to increasing hydroperiod and biomass
destruction of the invading plant, and their response to the subsequent normalization of the flooding events. The first set of results of this study was published in
López Rosas et al. (2010).
16.2 Methods
16.2.1 Study Site
The restoration was conducted in a dune slack dominated by herbaceous vegetation with the presence of some isolated trees. This marsh has an area of 2.6 ha and
is within a private reserve (Coastal Research Center ‘‘La Mancha’’, Institute of
Ecology A. C.) on the central coast of Veracruz, Gulf of Mexico (19°35
0 45
00 N,
96°23
0 05
00 W, Fig. 16.1). In this region the climate is warm sub-humid with summer rains, ranging from June to September and a period of relative drought
(midsummer) in August and a dry season (January–May). The mean annual precipitation is 1,286 mm. Seventy-eight percent of the total annual rainfall occurs
between June and September. The mean monthly temperature fluctuates between
21.1 °C in January and 27.3 °C in June.
The dune slack under restoration was modified in the early 1970s to create nine
wetland farming plots (chinampas) to grow vegetables, covering an area of 729 m
2
(López Martínez 1985). To build chinampas, farmers need to raise the ground level to
reduce flooding and build canals to maintain aquatic fauna and fish production.
On the eastern site edge, five ponds for aquaculture were built by excavating the soil
and sediments. This historical land use resulted in a microsite with high heterogeneity, with areas permanently inundated with freshwater saturation prevailing. Also,
the vegetation of the region was modified by the introduction of African grasses,
mainly Panicum maximum, Cynodon dactylon, and E. pyramidalis. The latter species
has been widely introduced, behaving as an invasive species in wetlands. The site
16 Interdune Wetland Restoration
257