##  [Wetland Restoration: Can Short-Term Success Criteria Predict Long-Term Outcomes?](/resource/wetland-restoration-can-short-term-success-criteria-predict-long-term-outcomes) 

Organization

[Biotope](/organization/biotope)

[Colorado State University](/organization/colorado-state-university)

[Université Grenoble Alpes](/organization/universite-grenoble-alpes)

[Université Savoie Mont Blanc](/organization/universite-savoie-mont-blanc)

 

 

Resource Type

[Peer reviewed article](/taxonomy/term/37)

 

 

Author(s)

Mathias Adam

David Cooper

Renaud Jaunatre

Jean-Christophe Clément

Stephanie Gaucherand

 

 

Original Authors

Mathias Adam

David Cooper

Renaud Jaunatre

Jean-Christophe Clément

Stephanie Gaucherand

 

 

Contacts

[Mathias Adam](/contact/mathias-adam)

 

 

Resource Date:

2024

 

 

Worldwide wetland loss over the past 50 years has made wetland conservation a public policy priority, leading to an increase in wetland restoration programs. However, predicting long-term restoration outcomes remains difficult. The monitoring of these programs rarely exceeds 5–10 years, forcing wetland managers to rely on short-term success criteria that may be criticized by the scientific community. Our objective was to assess the significance of four short-term success criteria (*Carex* ssp. shoot density, *Salix* ssp. survival, invasive species cover, and hydrologic dissimilarity to reference sites) used in a restoration program of 12 wetlands monitored for 5 years post-restoration in predicting restoration outcomes 15 years post-restoration. We defined the success of restoration efforts after 15 years using a cluster analysis-based approach, and the clusters were described using principal coordinate analysis and Tukey's post hoc honest significant difference test. Finally, we assessed the pertinence of each short-term success criteria in predicting long-term restoration outcomes using Pearson correlation tests and spatial regressive models. Our results demonstrate that stress-based short-term success criteria can be reliable predictors of longer-term success for communities with shallow water tables, whereas target-species-based short-term success criteria are not. Hydrologic dissimilarity to the reference site was appropriate for willow-sedge community outcome predictions, while invasive species cover was best for sedge community outcome predictions. For communities in drier habitats, such as the willow-herb community, none of the tested short-term success criteria were significant predictors of long-term restoration outcomes, and further research is required to identify suitable short-term success criteria.