Social Factors Affecting Wetlands Utilization for Agriculture in Nigeria: A case study of sawah rice production

Wetlands have immense poverty-fighting potentials and in Nigeria, more and more people are dependent on wetlands for their livelihoods. To examine the social factors affecting the current status of the wetlands utilization for agriculture in Nigeda, a simple random sampling technique was used to select 200 farmers cultivating wetlands and a structured questionnaire was applied to elicit the information on the social factors. Data collected were described using frequency and percentage and a multiple regression analysis was used to identify significant variables that are determinants of wetland utilization. The results of the analysis showed that significant variables included crop preferences, farming system, culture, taste, land tenure, knowledge of wetland cultivation, perceived suitability, farmers＇ tribe, location of wetland, and farmers＇ age. it was concluded with suggestions for the right combination of policies, public awareness, and appropriate farming methods in order to improve wetland utilization in Nigeria.

PROTECTION AND RATIONAL UTILIZATION OF WETLANDS IN CHINA

This paper highlights the type, distribution and area of wetlands in China, reviews the progress and achievements made in wetland research and expounds the status quo of wetland utilization in China. It also analyses emphatically the problems existing in wetland utilization, points out the importance of wetland protection, and presents suggestions on wetland protection and wetland ecosystem research.

Examining Health of Wetlands with Multiple Ecosystem Services as Targets in China’s Coastal Regions

Coastal zones are key interconnectors of terrestrial and marine ecosystems.Due to the degradation and fragmentation of coastal wetlands,there is an urgent need to develop assessment methodology to compare the health of wetland ecosystems at different spatial scales.This will help efficiently develop and implement protections using easy-to-access ecosystem health data.This study aims to understand the spatial distribution of coastal and inland wetland health for China’s coastal regions.A Wetland Health Index(WHI)was developed to provide a basis for policy and decision making.Four utilization models—Long Term Model,Open Model,Nature Reserve Model,and Protected and Economic Model—were defined in the context of China’s coastal regions to specifically examine wetland health.Results show that the average WHI score was 63.6 with the range of 44.8–84.3 for 35 National Nature Reserves(NNRs),and the southern NNRs generally performed better than the northern NNRs.The wetlands in the southern provinces/municipalities are relatively healthier than their northern counterparts.The competent authority has slight influence on WHI scores but duration of conservation establishment does not show a clear correlation.With increasing economic activity,the differences in health conditions(WHI scores)of China’s coastal regions also increase.Gross Domestic Product(GDP)or economic intensification does not relate to WHI scores.Appropriate trade-offs between wetland management and economic development could contribute to improve health conditions,conservation and utilization of coastal and inland wetlands.