2. Methods
The ecological condition of the Chortarolimni wetland was assessed using past studies [4,5] and the breeding
waterfowl species were identified to serve as the target species for the habitat restoration design. Using the
maximum depth (1.0 m) and surface area of the wetland (2.300 ha), an approximate model of the wetland shape was
designed to allow water level calculations in response to the inflow and outflow of water as predicted by the water
budget. All available weather data were collected from the local weather stations and processed together with the
wetland shape model in order to calculate the water budget of the wetland based on the standard water budget
equation [6] and a simplified version of the Pennman equation for evapotranspiration [7].
The site was visited in the end of the dry period (September 2009), in order to measure the level of the
underground aquifer. Using the wetland water budget, the water level effect of a sluice installation at the draining
ditch was calculated. Three ponds were designed and spaced inside the wetland area, taking into account the habitat
requirements of the target species and the aquifer level. A flexible and methodical restoration monitoring plan was
developed to follow the progress of the restoration works