Wetland

With the development of the modern society, urban areas are becoming a concrete cell. High working pressure and terrible air condition are pushing people to find a natural space to escape from the urban areas. As a landscape architect, it is a trend to design a ecological landscape for modern people. People like to get closer to water, however, it is hard for people to experience both nature world and waterfront landscape at the same time. Wetlands has offered such an opportunity for designer to make a functional landscape solving the problems of human and nature. To have a better understanding of  wetland ecosystem is good to develop the value of wetland. In China, Hangzhou Xixi wetland park has shown a great work of a well-designed natural ecosystem.

Focusing on the advantages of wetlands, wetlands protect water quality by controlling excess nutrients and other pollutants, such as heavy metals. Wetlands provide flood protection by holding the excess runoff after a storm, and then releasing it slowly. Aquifers and groundwater are recharged by precipitation that drops into the ground and by surface waters. Many species of birds, fish, mammals are protected by the wetland. 

To design a sustainable wetlands ecosystem, it needs considering the participation of people. A green way with walkable road to let people get into the forest, some landscape infrastructures to give people space to enjoy the place, and people even can have a boat to the center of the pond areas. This wetland also can be a culture center of the nearby city, because it has the historical “footprints”, which may help people have a better understanding of the city. The city may have a drainage system connect to the wetland to share the exceed rain water and get the ground water for the city use. What’s more, nowadays, landscape architects and ecologists have paid more attention on wetlands design or research. There are numerous problems to be solved, not only for the human being, but also for the entire ecosystem.