Neotropical wetlands: new instruments in ecosystem management

The management of wetland ecosystems in the neotropics is a challenging task due to the ecological, geographical and socio-political complexity of these areas. These difficulties are compounded by an incomplete knowledge of system dynamics and the potential impacts that economic activities may have on wetland ecosystem functioning. There is a growing body of potential tools that can be utilized to study and monitor these large complex ecosystems. These include the use of remote sensing information, in situ hydrological and microclimate sensors with long-term dataloggers, hydrological and ecological modelling approaches based on limited historical data, energy-based models, ecological-economic indicators of wetland resource use and others. We tested some of these approaches in an international research project dedicated to the study of a large Argentine wetland, the "Esteros del Ibera" (www.unisi.it/ wetland). The study focused on examining and developing instruments for the management of Latin American wetlands. Local and regional decision makers are now using project-generated instruments to make decisions for wetland resource management. The creation of innovative decision-making tools for sustainable wetland-resource utilization is an important challenge for the future.