Spatial mapping of environmental risk in riverine wetlands: a case study of Crete, Greece

Wetlands, including associated waterbody types such as riverine wetlands, are highly vulnerable to pollution and ecological degradation driven by surrounding land-use activities. This study presents a risk-mapping methodology designed to predict where such impacts are most likely to occur. This approach uses high-resolution land-cover data to identify land-use types within 200 m and 400 m buffer zones surrounding each waterbody. Each land-use category within these buffers is assigned an impact score that reflects known stressor effects of different land-covers on wetlands. These scores are combined into a risk index (risk = probability × severity × consequence) calculated for each riverine wetland. The resulting maps highlight areas where adjacent land-uses threaten wetlands’ integrity. Overall, this methodology serves as an early warning tool to support the prioritization of monitoring, mitigation and conservation efforts in vulnerable aquatic ecosystems.