Wetlands are areas of land that are permanently or seasonally saturated with water. They include coastal wetlands near oceans as well as inland freshwater wetlands. Wetlands provide many benefits such as improving water quality, providing habitat for many species, and protecting coastlines from erosion. They are now recognized as important ecosystems, in contrast to past views of wetlands as worthless land. The Ramsar Convention works to conserve over 100 million hectares of wetlands globally. Wetlands have unique hydrology and processes that shape the landforms and support biodiversity, including many types of plants and animals. Water flows through wetlands in a cycle, getting cleaned by the vegetation as it moves through before flowing out and beginning the cycle again
2. What are Wetlands
Wetlands are areas containing a large body of
water submerging or surrounding areas of
land. Wetlands can be areas that are either
permanently a wetland (saturated in water) or
the saturation caused seasonally. Wetlands
are distinguished by the vegetation, bodies of
water and soil conditions of the area. There
are many types of wetlands Coastal wetlands
( salt and brackish water) and Inland
(freshwater) wetlands.
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3. Attitudes towards
wetlands
In the Past, Wetlands were seen as worthless,
mosquito-infested wastelands. Now in the
present Wetlands are looked on as one of the
most important productive life ecosystems on
earth. Wetlands help to maintain water quality
and are home thousands of different plant and
animal species. They also are a play a major
role in the coastal fishing industry-a major
supplier of food
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4. Coastal Wetlands
Areas of Saturated salt water for all or part of the
year are called Coastal wetlands. Coastal
wetlands are normally found in tropical or
temperate areas of the world, these wetlands
can be features such as bays, lagoons, salt flats,
mud flats and salt marshes. grasses are the
most common type of vegetation in this area.
These wetlands help catch sediment washed
from land; absorb nutrients and other pollutants;
provide breeding and feeding grounds for
important marine and land animals and
invertebrates. Coastal Wetlands also protect the
coastline from erosion and reduce damage when
cyclones and storms hit.
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5. Inland (freshwater)
Wetlands
Areas covered in fresh water permanently or seasonally are acled Inland (freshwater
wetlands. They include wet meadows, bogs (peat rich-areas), oxbow lakes (billabongs),
river floodplains, mud flats, swamps (dominated by trees and shrubs), prairie potholes
(depressions carved out by glaciers and marshes. Inland wetlands are sometimes covered
throughout the year while others only remain in water for a short time a year. Some inland
wetlands can stay dry for years before filling up with water.
Inland wetlands provide important habitats for fish, insects water bird and other kinds of
animals. These amazing geographical features are like natural filters. the plant life diluting
water and absorbing toxic wastes, nutrients, sediments and other pollutants. Wetlands are
often called ‘nature's kidneys’ because of their amazing ability to clean water. Wetlands also
help maintain the ecosystem in time of drought, providing stored water for animals to drink
freely. They prevent erosion by absorbing excess runoffs and releasing it slowly.
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6. Conservation of
Wetlands
Wetlands are the only ecosystems in the world to have a special
convention and agreement for the conservation of wetlands. This
agreement is called the Ramsar convention. This convention started
in 1971 and has been conserving wetlands ever since. By mid 2003
more than 136 countries have signed up to this convention,
promising the conservation of over 1289 wetlands with a total of 109
million hectares of protected area. The convention includes
guidelines for the conservation of wetlands, encouraging practices
that benefit and teach the present generation about the importance of
wetland.
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7. Hydrology
Hydrology within a wetland is the actions of the water
supply and flow in the area of wetland, this means that
every wetland is not the same there hydrologic process
each unique and special in its own way. The hydrology
is associated with the spatial and temporal dispersion,
flow of the water and physicochemical (physical
chemistries). The source of water in wetlands are
predominantly precipitation, surface and ground water
storages. Water flows out of Wetlands due mainly to
evaporation, surface runoff and evapotranspiration (the
evaporation of water supplies due to plant
consumption).
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8. Geomorphic Process
Wetlands are very unique, Every Wetland has Its own
Geomorphic process. Some wetlands form features
due to the water level and others because of the
wildlife in that specific wetland. Water is the main
reason for changes in the environment, causing
erosion to lots of soils and plants. The main features of
wetlands include flat wet and marshy plains, very little
elevation of the ground and surrounding areas with
streams and underwater supplies.
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9. Bioderversity
Flora- There are four main types of hydrophytes (plants that only live in or on water) in a
wetland System. Submerged, floating, emergent shrubs and various amphibious trees.
Submerged water plants are plants that are only found completely submerged in water.
Floating water plants that are plants floating on the water, therefore enabling them move
and their roots suck nutrients from floating around freely in the water. Emergent Water
plants are plants in which there roots are entirely submerged in water and able to sustain a
healthy life. The Surrounding Plants and shrubs make up the swamp area that surrounds
the wetland, usually in soils with a high saturated water level. These plants can sustain life
with a fair amount of water in their Cells. Algae are also a very important part of a wetland
ecosystem. Algae supply food for animals such as small fish, insects and invertebrates. If it
was not for the algae to be feeding these animals the whole ecosystem would fall apart
Fauna- Wetlands contain a wide variety of Fauna. These important part ecosystems sustain
some of the most important animal life in the world. The main animals found in a wetland
Include Fish, Amphibians, Reptiles, Mammals, monotremes (mammals that lay eggs),
insects and invertebrates. Some Wetlands Sustain thousandths of species of Animals.
Dangars Lagoon out near Uralla supports over 3 thousand species of birds. Fauna in a
wetland help maintain the flora in a wetland eating and repollinating all the plants.
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11. Wetlands are one the worlds natural
filters. Cleaning all the water in the
surrounding are, earning the name
“earths Kidney”s
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12. #1
Water flows in to the wetland from
surrounding hills and pools in the area
in which the wetland is based.
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13. #2
As the water moves slowly through the
wetland the plants and vegetation filter
all the dirty bacteria and dirt particles.
Trees can suck up the dirty water in
their roots, fish can eat all the bacteria
and plants catch all large soild material
in their foliage.
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14. #3
Clean Water flows out of the wetland.
This fresh and clean water is available
for pumping and drinking. Helping the
ecosystem service and flourish.
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15. #4
When the water has been used it can
go back to the beginning of the cycle
and start this crucial cycle again
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