Ecological Risk Assessment of Wetlands Exposed to Anthropogenic Activities

Wetlands are ecologically essential as a result of their hydrologic characteristics and their roles as an ecotone amongst terrestrials and aquatic ecosystems, which are exposed to stressors and risks by anthropogenic activities. Ecological risk assessment has been distinguished as a superior tool to categorize and prioritize risks caused by stressors and has globally developed a broadly acknowledged procedure for monitoring and managing wetlands. This study applied a hybridized and tiered method to assessing risks in combined with MIKE 21 computerized model and geographic information system for simulating and zoning risks on the Boujagh Wetland area that is located in the Southwest of the Caspian Sea shoreline and the north of Iran, as a case study. In the last step, mitigation measures have been presented by the pressure-Status-Response method, based on the ecosystem approach. As result, risk levels in the study area were 29% very high, 42% high, 20% moderate, and 9% low. Very high and high risks were distinguished on the sensitive areas involving aquatic species breeding site, immigrant birds, shoreline, Sefidrood River delta, and habitats near to landfill. So, landfill, waste disposal, and wastewater discharging should be eliminated. Besides, the establishment of an organized management office in the area is necessary.