Wetlands are important because they:
- improve water quality
- provide wildlife habitat
- maintain ecosystem productivity
- reduce coastal storm damage
- provide recreational opportunities
- improve the water supply
- provide opportunities for education
- Improved Water Quality. Wetlands can intercept runoff from surfaces prior to reaching open water and remove pollutants through physical, chemical, and biological processes. ...
- Erosion Control. ...
- Flood Abatement. ...
- Habitat Enhancement. ...
- Water Supply. ...
- Recreation. ...
- Partnerships. ...
- Education.
How do wetlands function and why are they valuable?
- Wetlands are sometimes called the worlds kidneys because they serve the very important function of filtering water.
- An acre of wetland can store 1–1.5 million gallons of floodwater
- Up to one-half of North American bird species nest or feed in wetlands.
What are the cons of wetlands?
- Cutting trees in wetlands Silvicultural exception Harvesting timber vs cutting trees Building on wetlands
- Can you build on wetlands
- Can I build a house on wetlands
- How close can you build to wetlands
- Can you build a pond in wetlands
- Florida Wetlands regulations
What are the economic benefits of wetlands?
“The economic assessment of the wetlands ecosystem services and biodiversity aimed at investigating beneficiaries of economic benefits from the wetland, current value of the biodiversity and ecosystem services, the economic impact of wetland degradation ...
Why are wetlands so important?
Wetlands are highly productive and biologically diverse systems that enhance water quality, control erosion, maintain stream flows, sequester carbon, and provide a home to at least one third of all threatened and endangered species. Wetlands are important because they: improve water quality; provide wildlife habitat; maintain ecosystem productivity
What are two benefits of wetlands to humans?
Wetlands and People Far from being useless, disease-ridden places, wetlands provide values that no other ecosystem can. These include natural water quality improvement, flood protection, shoreline erosion control, opportunities for recreation and aesthetic appreciation and natural products for our use at no cost.
What are the 5 important functions of wetlands?
Functions & values of wetlandsWater purification.Flood protection.Shoreline stabilization.Groundwater recharge and stream flow maintenance.
What is a wetland and what benefits do wetlands provide?
Wetlands are highly productive and biologically diverse systems that enhance water quality, control erosion, maintain stream flows, sequester carbon, and provide a home to at least one third of all threatened and endangered species. Wetlands are important because they: improve water quality. provide wildlife habitat.
Why are wetlands important 3 reasons?
Wetlands provide habitat for thousands of species of aquatic and terrestrial plants and animals. Wetlands are valuable for flood protection, water quality improvement, shoreline erosion control, natural products, recreation, and aesthetics.
What are the 10 benefits of wetlands?
This certainly beats expensive, human-made filtration systems.Wetlands store our water to ensure supply during dry periods. ... Wetlands can prevent floods. ... Wetlands recharge ground water. ... Wetlands help to control erosion. ... Wetlands provide shelter for juvenile fish. ... Wetlands provide homes for animals and plants.More items...•
How do wetlands help climate change?
Wetlands play an important role in climate change, because of their capacity to modulate atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases such as methane, carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide, which are dominant greenhouse gases contributing to about 60%, 20% and 6% of the global warming potential, respectively (IPCC, 2007).
How do wetlands improve water quality?
Wetlands help maintain good water quality or improve degraded waters in several ways: Nutrient removal and retention, Processing of chemical and organic materials, and. Reduction of the sediment load of water.
What are 3 main types of wetlands?
Types of WetlandsMarshes.Swamps.Bogs.Fens.
Do wetlands prevent flooding?
Wetlands prevent flooding by temporarily storing and slowly releasing stormwater. Wetlands also reduce water flow, thus allowing sediments and associated pollutants to settle out.
What are the six functions of a wetland?
Function of WetlandsFlow regulation.Erosion control.floodplain farming.Plant and animal products.Conservation.Tourism and recreation.Water Quality.Carbon sinks.
What are wetlands write any four importance of wetlands?
Wetlands are important because they provide habitat for thousands of species of aquatic and terrestrial plants and animals. Wetlands are valuable for flood protection, water quality improvement, shoreline erosion control, natural products, recreation, and aesthetics.
Why are wetlands important?
Today, we know that wetlands provide many important services to the environment and to the public. They offer critical habitat for fish, waterfowl and other wildlife, they purify polluted waters, and they help check the destructive power of floods and storms.
How do wetlands help the environment?
Water Quality: Wetlands act as natural water purifiers, filtering sediment and absorbing many pollutants in surface waters. In some wetland systems, this cleansing function also enhances the quality of groundwater supplies. Reduction of Coastal Storm Damage: Coastal wetlands help to blunt the force of major storms.
How do wetlands help with floods?
Flood Control and Streamflow Maintenance: Wetlands along rivers and streams absorb energy and store water during storms, which reduces downstream flood damage and lessens the risk of flash floods. The slow release of this stored water over time can help keep streams flowing during periods of drought.
What are some examples of wetlands in Florida?
For example, wetlands in Florida's Everglades help recharge the Biscayne Aquifer, the sole source of drinking water for the Miami metropolitan area. A staff member at Channel Islands National Park describes a wetlands restoration project to visitors and the media.
How do coastal wetlands help?
Reduction of Coastal Storm Damage: Coastal wetlands help to blunt the force of major storms. For example, mangrove forests in south Florida and salt marshes along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts reduce flooding, coastal erosion, and property damage during major storms.
What was the wetlands regarded as?
In the not too distant past, wetlands were regarded as wastelands. Most people felt that they were places to be avoided, and it was common practice to drain them, fill them or treat them as dumping grounds.
Why are wetland ecosystems important?
Wetlands are important because they: improve water quality. provide wildlife habitat.
Why are tidal wetlands important?
The rest of nature benefits from tidal wetlands, too, because they provide habitat (food, water and cover) for plants, invertebrates, fish, reptiles, birds and mammals and stopover points for migrating birds.
How much water can a wetlands hold?
Groundwater recharge (1 acre of wetlands can hold over a million gallons of water!) Hunting and other recreational activities. Habitat for hundreds of species of animals and birds. The first line of defense against pollution from surface water runoff.
What are the most important natural resources in Virginia?
According to then 2007 Virginia Outdoors Plan "wetlands , both tidal and non-tidal, are among the most important natural resources found in Virginia's landscape.". Wetlands are as productive as tropical rain forests, acre for acre. Swamps, bogs and marshes, as well as the shallow waters of our rivers, creeks, lakes and ponds are wetlands.
How many acres of wetlands were lost in Virginia?
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has estimated that Virginia lost more than 63,000 acres of coastal and inland wetlands just between 1956 and 1977. Urban development and dredging projects accounted for most of the tidal wetlands losses during the most recent period.
How old is the Virginia wetlands inventory?
Virginia’s tidal wetlands inventory is over 30 years old and it has no data base to track wetlands restoration. It is up to individual citizens to fix what is wrong with wetlands in Virginia. Get to know wetlands laws and regulations . Do the right thing on your own land.
What does a wetland look like?
They may look like forests or fields. They may be wet all year or just some of the year. If your neighborhood floods easily in rainstorms or with unusually high tides, you probably live in a wetland that has been filled to allow the construction of your neighborhood. Non-tidal wetlands have most of the values and benefits ...
Is a mudflat a wetlands?
While most of us would not think of the shallow waters and mudflats of creeks and rivers as wetlands, they are part of the wetlands ecology. In tidal systems, this is where the underwater grasses are (submerged aquatic vegetation or “SAV”) that provide habitat for fish and shellfish.
What are the benefits of wetlands?
Such benefits may include environmental, economic, educational, societal, recreational, or aesthetic benefits. Consider the following: Improved Water Quality.
How do wetlands help the ecosystem?
Habitat Enhancement. Wetlands can enhance habitat for game and non-game species. According to EPA, wetlands provide an essential link in the life cycle of 75 percent of the fish and shellfish commercially harvested in the U.S., and up to 90 percent of the recreational fish catch.
What are wetlands used for?
Therefore, wetlands provide a cost-effective alternative to traditional wastewater and stormwater treatment options. Erosion Control. Riparian wetlands, salt marshes, and marshes located at the margin of lakes protect shorelines and streambanks from erosion.
What is wetlands protection?
Wetlands protection activities provide meaningful opportunities to educate the public regarding wetlands science, wetlands protection, and the value of water resources. Aesthetic Appeal. Wetlands provide a certain visual value and are often incorporated as features within landscape design.
How do wetland plants help the river?
The roots of wetland plants hold soil in place and can reduce velocity of stream or river currents. [ 3] Flood Abatement. Wetlands can play an important role in flood abatement, soaking up and storing floodwater.
What are the activities that can be done in the wetland?
Wetlands can become a destination for outdoor activities such as hiking, fishing, bird watching, photography, and hunting. More than 82 million Americans took part in these activities in 2001, spending more than $108 billion on these pursuits. [ 10] Partnerships.
Why do wetlands protect farm fields?
When there’s a lot of water on the landscape due to heavy rains or snowmelt, wetlands capture and store that water. This protects farm fields, basements, and roads from flooding.
What percentage of Wisconsin's wildlife lives in wetlands?
75% of Wisconsin’s wildlife depend on wetlands at some point in their lives. Wetlands are important places where animals of all kinds nest, rest during migration, find dinner, and more.
The Importance of Wetlands
One of its most amazing characteristics is that it acts as a sponge or natural flood control system. The structure of wetlands enables them to absorb rainfall and thus reduce the volume of water that enters into rivers and streams which naturally lowers the risk of flooding. Wider floodplains also help to pan out and store the rainfall.
Bottom Line
As custodians of the Earth we should take time not only to visit and learn more about these environments but should try and become actively involved in projects to help preserve, protect and rehabilitate the remaining wetland ecosystems around the world.
About Nasreen Mayet
Nasreen Mayet is a BSc Honours graduate in Geography, with undergraduate majors in both Geography and Ecology, Environment and Conservation from the University of the Witwatersrand (South Africa). Working as spatial analyst, Nasreen takes keen interest in issues of environmental impacts spatially.
How do wetlands help the economy?
In addition, wetlands help support 75 percent of all commercially caught fish and shellfish, the harvest of which contributes an estimated $1.2 trillion to our economy each year . Another valuable societal benefit provided by wetlands is clean water. Known as "nature's kidneys," wetlands slow the flow of water across the landscape, ...
What are wetland ecosystems?
Wetlands are among the most valuable ecosystems on Earth, rivaling tropical rainforests in their biological productivity. Historically, wetland systems sustained civilizations by providing people with food and freshwater and protecting communities from flooding and storm surges. Prior to European settlement of the United States, ...
How much can restoration of wetlands save?
On the Gulf Coast, for example, economists estimate that the restoration of coastal wetlands could save communities nearly $20 billion in storm damage. Moreover, research has shown that restoring wetlands is nearly nine times more ...
What are the kidneys of wetlands?
Known as "nature's kidneys," wetlands slow the flow of water across the landscape, allowing sediment, nutrients, and other particles to settle to the bottom. Those nutrients in turn fuel wetland productivity, supporting plants and invertebrates that provide food and shelter for waterfowl, fish, and other wildlife.
How much does it cost to restore wetlands?
Researchers estimate that restored wetlands can remove excess nitrogen fertilizer from farm runoff at an average cost of one dollar per pound of nitrogen, while traditional water treatment plants provide the same service at a cost of seven to 40 dollars per pound. Wetlands also play a central role in recharging groundwater supplies.
How much money has New York invested in wetlands?
For example, New York invested nearly $1.5 billion in the restoration and protection of wetlands and adjacent lands in the Hudson River valley, which has saved taxpayers between $3 billion and $8 billion in drinking water pretreatment costs.
What is the role of playa lakes in the Great Plains?
This function is especially important in semiarid regions such as the southern Great Plains, where playa lakes, other wetlands, and riverbeds are the only points of recharge for the underlying Ogallala Aquifer. Nationwide, nearly 44 percent of the U.S. population relies on groundwater for its drinking water supply.
Wetlands and Nature
- Wetlands are among the most productive ecosystems in the world, comparable to rain forests and coral reefs. An immense variety of species of microbes, plants, insects, amphibians, reptiles, birds, fish and mammals can be part of a wetland ecosystem. Climate, landscape shape (topolo…
Natural Products For Our Economy
- We use a wealth of natural products from wetlands, including fish and shellfish, blueberries, cranberries, timber and wild rice. Some medicines are derived from wetland soils and plants. Many of the nation's fishing and shellfishing industries harvest wetland-dependent species. In the Southeast, for example, nearly all the commercial catch and over half of the recreational harves…
Fish and Wildlife Habitat
- More than one-third of the United States' threatened and endangered species live only in wetlands, and nearly half use wetlands at some point in their lives. Many other animals and plants depend on wetlands for survival. Estuarine and marine fish and shellfish, various birds and certain mammals must have coastal wetlands to survive. Most commercial and game fish breed and rai…
Flood Protection
- Wetlands function as natural sponges that trap and slowly release surface water, rain, snowmelt, groundwater and flood waters. Trees, root mats and other wetland vegetation also slow the speed of flood waters and distribute them more slowly over the floodplain. This combined water storage an braking action lowers flood heights and reduces erosion. Wetlands within and downstream o…