Shannon Bentley

2020 recipient of the Sir Hugh Kāwharu Masters Scholarship for Innovation in Science, MSc (Victoria University).

As part of her studies Shannon sampled 18 privately restored wetlands to see how successful the projects were at acheiving wetland conditions. Wetlands are the kidneys of the land - they remove pollutants from water, absorb carbon from the atmosphere, abate floods, and can increase biodiversity. She found that in the areas where farmers restored wetlands, plant diversity increased by thirteen plants, soils became more wetland-like, and carbon absorption and microbial diversity increased. She also found evidence to suggest that flowing water may accelerate the restoration process for wetland areas.