This study explored how deforestation contributes to erosion and land-based pollution that impairs downstream water quality and the need for integrating terrestrial management into marine ecosystem protection efforts. This investigation provides evidence for managers who would like to make informed land use decisions that result in long-term improvements to downstream environments, including marine water quality. Clear steps to evaluate the impacts of land use on water quality and models for understanding the efficacy of various management options are explained. In particular, the study advocates for avoiding logging on steep slopes and implementing riparian buffers along rivers adjacent to logging areas. The study results show that all mitigation strategies decreased soil erosion and sediment runoff, with avoidance of steep slopes performing best. An 100m buffer provided more effective erosion and runoff reduction than a 50m buffer, while a combination of avoidance of steep slopes and riparian buffers had the best outcome. These results demonstrate the importance of mitigation for logging in protecting aquatic ecosystems and resources, as logging is associated with more frequent exceedance of water-quality thresholds. In addition, compromises to drinking water and community health resulting from soil erosion are discussed, addressing the connection between conservation and health while demonstrating the long-term implications of deforestation. The study concludes with a call for inclusion of soil erosion and water quality considerations in all logging plans and codes of practice.
Authors: Wenger, A.S., S. Atkinson, T. Santini, K. Falinksi, N. Hutley, S. Albert, N. Horning, J. Watson, P. Mumby, and S. Jupiter
Year: 2018
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Environmental Research Letters 13. doi:10/10.88/1748-9326/aab9eb
