Cover -- Half-title -- Title -- Copyright -- Contents -- Figures -- Tables -- Preface -- 1 Introduction -- 1.1 Problems, policy and management of wetlands -- 1.2 What are wetlands? -- 1.3 Wetlands in the Netherlands -- 1.4 Wetland research -- 1.5 Scope and objectives -- 1.6 Outline of the book -- 2 Wetlands and science -- 2.1 Introduction -- 2.2 Hydrology and ecology -- 2.2.1 Processes and characteristics of hydrological systems -- 2.2.2 Hydrological characteristics of wetlands -- Saline wetlands -- Brackish wetlands -- Freshwater riparian wetlands -- Fen wetlands -- Elevated wetlands -- Wetlands affected or created by humans -- 2.2.3 Soil characteristics and processes -- 2.2.4 Ecology -- 2.2.5 Functions of, and processes in, wetlands -- 2.2.6 Ecological evaluation of wetlands -- Species -- Diversity -- Ecosystem -- Human threats -- Human benefits -- 2.2.7 Assessment of environmental quality -- 2.3 Environmental and ecological economics -- 2.3.1 History and scope -- 2.3.2 An overview of themes addressed by environmental economics -- 2.3.3 Ecological versus traditional environmental economics -- 2.4 Natural--social science integration -- 2.5 Conclusions -- 3 Integrated modelling and assessment -- 3.1 Introduction -- 3.2 Integrated modelling -- 3.3 Spatial modelling -- 3.4 Integrated modelling and monetary valuation -- 3.4.1 Cost categories -- Continuous costs -- Investment costs -- Opportunity costs -- 3.4.2 Benefit categories -- Actual benefits -- Benefits associated with future use values -- Costs of replacing a wetland function -- 3.5 Performance indicators -- 3.5.1 The role and use of indicators -- 3.5.2 Indicator development -- Step 1. Definition of information need -- Step 2. Development of a conceptual model -- Step 3. Formulation and evaluation of potential indicators -- Step 4. Data availability.

Step 5. Selection of assessment and aggregation method -- Step 6. Selection of final set of indicators -- 3.6 Evaluation -- 3.7 Conclusions -- 4 Theoretical framework and method of integrated study -- 4.1 Objective and approach -- 4.2 Three integration levels -- 4.3 Spatial dimension -- 4.4 Relevance for policy and management -- 5 The Vecht area: history, problems and policy -- 5.1 Description of the area -- 5.2 Historical development of the area -- 5.3 Threats to the wetlands -- 5.4 Economic activities -- 5.5 Policy and management in the Vecht area -- 5.5.1 International and national policies -- 5.5.2 Regional and local activities -- Abstraction of drinking water -- Restoration projects -- Nature development -- 5.5.3 Land reallotment -- 5.6 Conclusions -- 6 Development scenarios for the Vecht area -- 6.1 Introduction -- 6.2 Scenario I: reference -- 6.3 Scenario II: stimulation of agriculture (Agriculture scenario) -- 6.4 Scenario III: stimulation of nature (Nature scenario) -- 6.5 Scenario IV: stimulation of recreation (Recreation scenario) -- 6.6 Conclusions -- Appendix 6.1 List of polders -- 7 The spatial--ecological model: hydrology and ecology -- 7.1 Introduction -- 7.2 The hydrological quantity model -- 7.3 The hydrological quality model -- 7.4 The ecological model -- 7.5 Modelling results -- 8 The spatial--economic model: agriculture, nature conservation and outdoor recreation -- 8.1 Introduction -- 8.2 Environmental and economic data -- 8.2.1 Agriculture -- Present situation -- Intensive agriculture -- 8.2.2 Nature conservation -- Phosphate removal -- 8.2.3 Outdoor recreation -- Benefits of outdoor recreation based on spending on recreation -- Benefits of outdoor recreation based on total revenues of recreation-related sectors -- Summary of financial benefits of outdoor recreation -- Costs of stimulating recreation.

8.3 Modelling results under the three scenarios -- 8.3.1 Stimulation of agriculture -- 8.3.2 Stimulation of nature -- 8.3.3 Stimulation of recreation -- 8.4 Economic benefits of nature and recreation -- 8.5 Summary of modelling results -- Appendix 8.1 Calculation of economic and nutrient variables under the Agriculture scenario -- Appendix 8.2 Outdoor recreation data -- Appendix 8.3 Economic scenario results on a polder level -- 9 Performance indicators for the evaluation -- 9.1 Introduction -- 9.2 Performance indicators for environmental quality -- 9.2.1 Conceptual approach -- Ecosystem process -- Ecosystem structure -- Resilience -- 9.2.2 Construction of indicators and index -- Step 1: identification of species -- Step 2: standardisation of probabilities across the four scenarios -- Step 3: mean of standardised probabilities -- Step 4: spatial aggregation -- Step 5: calculation of the index of environmental quality -- 9.2.3 Results and interpretation -- 9.3 Performance indicators for spatial equity -- 9.4 Conclusions -- Appendix 9.1 Full list of species identified -- Appendix 9.2 Environmental quality and economic welfare indices on a polder level -- 10 Evaluation of the scenarios -- 10.1 Introduction -- 10.2 Point evaluation -- 10.3 Spatial evaluation -- 10.4 Conclusions -- 11 Conclusions: policy and research implications -- 11.1 Purpose -- 11.2 Method of integrated research -- 11.3 Natural science modelling and results -- The natural science modelling linked three models. -- 11.4 Economic analysis and results -- 11.5 Indicators, spatial evaluation and scenario ranking -- 11.6 Further research -- References -- Index.