The first requirement for successful conservation of biodiversity is the ability to identify and map the occurrence of the ecosystem, community, or species of interest. Identifying and mapping groundwater-dependent ecosystems, or GDEs, has proven difficult at times, as groundwater flow paths are often complex; data and information are limited, difficult to collect, and highly technical; and in-depth study and analysis can be expensive. Very few tools are available to assist in the development of effective conservation plans for groundwater-dependent ecosystems and species, and no broadly applicable or efficient methodology has been developed to identify the linkages between this biodiversity and the patterns of groundwater systems.
This Methods Guide is designed to fill these gaps and to assist resource managers and planners in developing and implementing plans to conserve GDEs. It provides tools and resources that will be valuable even to those with no technical training in groundwater hydrology or hydrogeology and will assist in the process of determining when and where groundwater is important for the protection and conservation of ecosystems and species. In addition, it provides steps that that assist in describing the groundwater system so that activities that are likely to affect GDEs can be identified. Check out related publications below.
Linking Groundwater to Aquatic Biodiversity, our article in
River Voices outlining the development of methods for freshwater conservationists.
Overcoming Data Shortfalls, our article in proceedings of the International Association of Hydrogeologists discussing methods for locating groundwater-dependent ecosystems and assess threats to groundwater quantity and quality.