What are wetlands, and why are they so important to conserve?
According to National Geographic, a wetland is defined as “an area of land that is either covered by water or saturated with water.” This definition includes swamps, marshes, bogs, and mangrove forests, as well as many other types of habitats. Although wetlands only cover about 6 percent of the Earth’s surface, they are vitally important to maintaining balanced ecosystems across the globe. Currently, wetland ecosystems are being threatened by effects of human activities, and the results could be disastrous. But why are wetlands so important?
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, “[w]etlands are among the most productive ecosystems in the world, comparable to rainforests and coral reefs.” A combination of many aspects of wetlands contributes to their high primary productivity, or the rate at which organisms are able to make energy from inorganic sources. These aspects include their shallow waters and the large number of producers present in them. Degradation of wetlands leads to a decrease in productivity, possibly leading to extreme effects across all trophic levels (i.e., all levels of the food web).
Wetlands serve as a habitat for many species of wildlife that collaborate to form a thriving and nutrient-rich ecosystem. According to an article by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, "40 per cent of all plant and animal species live or breed in wetlands.” As such, wetland degradation or destruction could lead to endangerment or extinction of these species. This has already begun happening, as evidenced by the likely extinction of the Bachman’s Warbler. The Bachman’s Warbler is a songbird whose population, according to an article in South Dakota Birds and Birding, declined due to habitat destruction—most significantly, the draining of their bottomland swamp habitats.
Another key service provided by wetland habitats is flood protection and prevention. Both inland and coastal wetlands act similarly to sponges, taking up groundwater, rainwater, surface water, and snowmelt to lessen the effects of, and prevent, potentially catastrophic flooding. The slow uptake and release of water in a wetland can also provide a consistent water source during drought conditions.
Despite their obvious importance to life across the planet, in the past 50 years, 35% of the world’s wetlands have been destroyed, according to the United Nations. Wetlands were not always recognized as essential, and were frequently drained and destroyed to make room for highways and residential areas. Even now, wetlands are still disappearing at a concerning rate, displaying the need for serious action on the part of humans to protect these necessary habitats in the future.