Integrated water management scenarios for wetland protection: application in Trichonis Lake

Wetlands constitute a significant source of life since they incorporate unique habitats with endemic and migrant species. Thus they contribute to the preservation of high global biodiversity and are under protection and special consideration. However, they suffer degradation because of intensification of agriculture, increase in pollution rates and poor water management practices. Calcareous fens habitat with the endangered species Cladium mariscus and Carex spp. are undergoing great ecological stresses due to the irrational use of local water resources, globally. In Trichonis lake, W. Greece, this habitat also deteriorates due to the lack of a sustainable management plan that causes destabilization of the hydrologic balance and high water level fluctuations. This hydrologic regime is caused mainly by human activities and directs to seasonal shifting between droughts and floods which constitute unfavorable conditions for this fen habitat. This study has adopted technologically advanced scientific methods such as GIS applications, remote sensing techniques and hydrologic modeling to quantify the existing water resources and formulate a sustainable management scheme by considering both anthropogenic water uses and environmental protection. The results indicated that if rational exploitation of the water storages occurs and the proposed management plan is fully implemented then the goals of economic prosperity and environmental preservation will be achieved.