Toward Sustainable Wetland Management: A Literature Review of Global Wetland Vulnerability Assessment Techniques in the Context of Rising Pressures

Abstract

Wetlands are natural ecosystems of great ecological and economic value. They provide undeniable ecosystem services that contribute to promoting sustainable development. Exposed to different pressures, these limnic ecosystems are particularly vulnerable to climate change. Thus, assessing wetland vulnerability is of utmost importance. Based on a systematic selection of relevant peer-reviewed studies, this paper helps to develop a general vision of the methods used to assess wetland vulnerability in different contexts, emphasizing the use of advanced computational approaches. Hence, an overview of different cases of wetlands all across the five continents and of different types of habitats is presented. Whether the wetland is permanently or seasonally flooded, coastal, or tropical, this study enables the analysis of diverse, already established vulnerability evaluation index systems. Some of these indices were computed using geographic information systems (GISs), artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), spatial principal component analysis (SPCA) and driver–pressure–state–impact–response (DPSIR) as evaluation models. Indeed, given the adoption of different methods, diverse models, and analytical approaches under different scenarios, the vulnerability assessment process should be seen as an iterative rather than a definitive process. An accurate wetland vulnerability assessment is essential for ensuring the sustainability of wetland ecosystems and for informing effective conservation and management strategies.

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