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The importance of the China connection to both the science of ecological engineering and OSU wetlands
Citation:
BRUINS, R. J., J. Cronk, AND X. Wu. The importance of the China connection to both the science of ecological engineering and OSU wetlands. Presented at Eco Summit 2012, Columbus, OH, September 30 - October 05, 2012.
Impact/Purpose:
The goal of this research is to develop methods and indicators that are useful for evaluating the condition of aquatic communities, for assessing the restoration of aquatic communities in response to mitigation and best management practices, and for determining the exposure of aquatic communities to different classes of stressors (i.e., pesticides, sedimentation, habitat alteration).
Description:
An important early development in the description of ecological engineering as a discipline was the recognition that respective Chinese and Western approaches existed, having developed more-or-less independently. The "meeting" of East and West that occurred in the 1980s and 1990s yielded an important cross pollination of theory and practice which strengthened this young field. William Mitsch played a catalytic role in this East-West engagement, at the same time that the Olentangy River Wetland Research Park was being conceived and developed. As a result, several notable pioneers of Chinese ecological engineering were "present at the creation" of the OSU wetland complex, and the China connection should be considered part of its heritage.