Mapping the Rhythm in Wetlands

All the processes involved in landscape transformation come from a combination of human activity and natural events, and require different periods of time to become evident. For a long time, landscape was understood as a product of overlapping fixed pictures of these processes, but contemporary territorial necessities make this traditional way of thinking obsolete (McHarg 1969). In order to understand and interpret the complex physical, biological and cognitive phenomena of landscapes, it is necessary to conceptually and practically operate within a broad range of spatial and temporal scales. In coastal regions, the most delicate ecosystems of the world are concentrated and often mixed together (Martínez et al. 2007). A river delta, wetland or agricultural field are examples of time-structured systems, where different ecological processes and their “rhythms” contribute to the general complexity and dynamics. Seasons, sea tides, river flows, natural presences, human maintenance activi-ties, political governance decisions…they all have different repetitions or sequences, which have to be considered in an integral design approach (Dekay 2012).