Why are wetlands wonderful

Where to begin? Wetlands is the broad term used to describe areas that often find their soil saturated with water and as a result support flora and fauna that need these saturated-soil conditions to survive. The most common types of wetlands in the U. According to the EPA :. Wetlands improve water quality, help with flood protection, control shoreline erosion, provide fish and wildlife habitat and contribute billions in recreation value annually.

When the Europeans first arrived in America, more than million acres of the conterminous United States were covered with wetlands. Not only do wetland ecosystems support a host of animal and plant life - but they are critically important for the survival humans too, from the mitigation of Climate Change to the protection of human settlements from floods. If we protect wetlands, we also protect our planet and ourselves. That date is now celebrated globally as World Wetlands Day.

The importance of wetlands was again declared by the United Nations, with the following statement:. By using the solutions we already find in nature.

The answer is nature! Wetlands occur in different environments around the world, and they all have divergent characteristics.

However, they do all have one thing in common: they are extremely important habitats of rich biodiversity, and they have an important role to play in the lives of humans and animals alike. Whether it is called a marsh, swamp, vlei , bog, seep, fen or pan, a wetland is a unique ecosystem — an area of land saturated with water, either permanently or seasonally.

It is usually home to many species of plants and animals. Without suitable wetland habitat, many species could soon be homeless. Here are 11 reasons why you should care about wetlands:. Wetlands are great filters! They trap sediments and remove pollutants, which helps to purify water. This certainly beats expensive, human-made filtration systems. Wetlands work like giant sponges. They store water and then slowly release it, and this helps to deal with dry seasons with little rainfall.

When rivers burst their banks, wetlands can store the excess water, and slow it down so it distributes more evenly over a floodplain. The roots of trees and other vegetation also help slow the speed of flood waters. Wetlands look great when they are lush and full of water, but did you know that they actually need to be dry sometimes to survive?

Wetlands need adequate water and a cycle of both wet and dry times to be healthy. Things like reduced water levels and regulation of rivers can leave them either too wet or too dry for too long. Environmental projects are being implemented across the state that will help to deliver environmental water to wetlands.

Projects include the construction of regulators that will support natural wetting and drying of key wetlands, and fishways to help fish navigate the river. Least Bittern Photo by Thom Curdts Wildlife Habitat: Wetlands provide habitat for many species of amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals that are uniquely adapted to aquatic environments.

Upland wildlife like deer, elk and bears commonly use wetlands for food and shelter. Wetlands are particularly vital to many migratory bird species. For example, wood ducks, mallards, and sandhill cranes winter in flooded bottomland forests and marshes in the southern U. A staff member at Channel Islands National Park describes a wetlands restoration project to visitors and the media.