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REDUCING GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS

Poorly managed farm dams are among the highest greenhouse gas (GHG) emitters of all freshwater ecosystems, producing the equivalent of 385,000 cars daily in Victoria alone. Understanding how to mitigate these emissions through management can help reduce agriculture’s carbon footprint in Australia and worldwide. Our team is researching active and passive management to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from farm dams while maximising farm productivity, water security, and biodiversity. 

Managing Farm Dam Emissions

Passive Management

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Active Management

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Co-benefits

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Passive Management: fencing off livestock

Excluding livestock from farm dams by installing fences can improve water quality by reducing the direct deposit of nutrient-rich manure and urine. It also prevents soil disturbance by hooved livestock and promotes vegetation growth around the dam, acting as a natural filter to reduce dissolved nutrients. Fenced farm dams have higher vegetation cover, lower levels of nutrients, turbidity, and harmful bacteria, as well as higher macroinvertebrate richness and abundance than unfenced dams. Fencing farm dams can improve water quality to benefit livestock health and weight gain. 

Read more in Malerba et al. 2022, Global Change Biology 

Active Interventions: floating wetlands

Floating wetlands are an innovative way to clean up polluted water. They work by growing plants on floating platforms that absorb nutrients and microbes from the water. These wetlands are natural, low-maintenance, and simple to use. Floating wetlands are better at removing nutrients than plants rooted in the soil because their roots come directly into contact with water.  

Our team from Blue Carbon Lab has designed a prototype of a floating wetland that successfully reduced nitrogen and phosphorous in wastewater by about 25%. Now, we want to see if this active management can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions of farm dams. 

We will test the floating wetlands in a lab to see how well they can reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Then, we’ll put them in farm dams around Victoria and monitor their effects on carbon emissions, biodiversity, water temperature, and turbidity. This exciting research offers a natural way to improve water quality while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. 

Co-benefits of farm dam management

Improved livestock health and weight gain with increased profits that often exceed the costs of interventions

Increased vegetation cover with return of native flora and fauna

Reduced evaporation

Improved tick control

Lower incidence of foot rot

Improved safety for children

Prevent animals from becoming bogged

Attract ducks and birds away from crops

Improved farm aesthetics

Recreational enjoyment

Increased sense of wellbeing

@BlueCarbonLab

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Contact

Dr Martino Malerba

Blue Carbon Lab
  • Home
  • About
    • What we are about
    • Who we are
  • Research
    • Blue Carbon
      • Seychelles Blue Carbon
      • Queensland Blue
      • Victoria’s Blue Carbon
      • Western Australia Blue
      • Blue Carbon Management
      • Tea Composition H2O
    • Teal Carbon
      • Farm dams
      • Floating wetlands
      • Revitalising Australia’s Freshwater Wetlands
    • Valuing Ecosystem Services
      • Mapping Ocean Wealth
      • Guide to Valuing Coastal Wetlands
    • Ecosystem Restoration
      • Coastal Wetland Restoration
        • The Victorian Coastal Wetland Restoration Program
        • Restoring Avalon’s wetlands
        • Regenerating Our Coasts
        • Enabling Blue Carbon Markets
      • Kelp restoration
      • Freshwater Wetland Restoration
    • Citizen Science
      • HSBC citizen science
      • GeelongPort citizen science
    • Microplastics
    • Marine Biosecurity
    • Decommissioning Infrastructure
  • Publications
  • News
  • Opportunities
  • Contact
Blue Carbon Lab