Deliverable (D3.1)

This is the this first Policy Brief produced by the NORDBALT-ECOSAFE project ‘Methane versus Multifunctionality - Evaluating Benefits and Tradeoffs of Constructed Ponds and Wetlands in Agricultural Areas’. The authors evaluate the multiple functions of ponds and wetlands in agricultural areas. Such wetlands retain nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) and thereby help to limit downstream eutrophication in both freshwater (rivers, lakes) and the final recipients being coastal waters and open marine waters. They can also store large amounts of organic carbon in their sediments, helping to offset CO₂ emissions. They can also be biodiversity hotspots, providing necessary habitat for birds and other organisms as well as providing recreational opportunities. They can provide water in times of drought and can help to control flooding by mitigating some of the effects of more intensive rainstorms. However, they can also emit greenhouse gases such as methane.