Earthwatch Award Recipient Summary
Awardee: Chris Joyce, PhD
Affiliation: University of Brighton
Project: Baltic Island Wetlands and Wildlife
Award: 2004 Darwin Initiative Grant
Project Synopsis
Dr. Chris Joyce and his colleague Elle Puurmann (Laanerannik) are working in coastal regions of Estonia to assess the sensitivity of wet grassland communities, and their associated wildlife, to abandonment. These wet grasslands were maintained by centuries of traditional pastoral management, but the Soviet era and subsequent changes in land-use patterns have threatened their very survival. Working on Vormsi Island, part of the West Estonian Archipelago Biosphere Reserve, Silma Nature Reserve and Matsalu National Park, a Ramsar site, Earthwatch teams are helping Joyce and Puurmann explore the extent to which plant communities can be recovered and maintained by alternative management practices.
Award Outcomes
The Darwin Award allowed Dr. Joyce to:
· Employ Estonian scientists to further develop research
· Conduct year-round monitoring
· Expand the number of wetland monitoring stations
· Expand the educational outreach efforts of the project
Dr. Joyce used the Darwin funds to hire to Estonian scientists, one full-time and one part-time, who help cover the monitoring process year-round and support Earthwatch volunteers. These scientists are also helping to develop the research further, introducing new field survey components, and expand the outreach to stakeholders. The grant has supported the dissemination of results and building a network of stakeholders interested in wetland research and monitoring through Estonia and the Baltic states. Several workshops, meetings, and training sessions have helped inform stakeholders of results from the project and provided a forum for building on the project outcomes. The project website (www.vormsi.ee/darwin/) continues to implement this outreach effort.
The Darwin grant also funded the purchase of water level and soil moisture recording equipment, raising the number of wetland monitoring stations in the project from three to nine. These additional monitoring stations, combined with the year-round monitoring by host country scientists, will provide for more conclusive results on management options.
Publications and Papers
Two papers submitted, publication pending.
Further papers in preparation.
Quotes
"Overall, the success of the research has been considerably enhanced by the Darwin grant as it has enabled the research to be undertaken all year round in Estonia, thereby helping us maximize the impact of the project generally, and the volunteer field teams specifically. The profile of the research has also been raised considerably, such that it is known throughout the Baltic states and has been used to influence monitoring protocols for European protected sites."
"Not only did the grant substantially enhance the existing research, it also enabled us to develop research into new components of wetland biodiversity, namely invertebrates, including butterflies and bees. For example, field surveys for butterflies were undertaken in west Estonian wetlands for the first time in 2005 and will be continued this year."