Wetlands: An Introduction to This Year’s Global Topic
Wetlands are areas of land saturated with water. There are 33 different types of wetlands worldwide that include rivers, swamps, marshes, peatlands, coral reefs, mangroves, and more. Wetlands can be permanent or temporary, natural or human-made, and contain flowing or still water.
Even though wetlands only account for 6% of the Earth’s land surface, they provide major wildlife habitats that are home to 40% of all plant and animal species across the globe. These biodiverse species range from the near-threatened tiny bubble-nest frog (Gracixalus supercornutus) found in Vietnam to the critically endangered flowering tree (Calophyllum africanum) that lives in Mali.
Wetlands provide many ecosystem services and also help combat climate change. Some scientists argue that compared to rainforests, wetlands are the real “lungs of the planet” since they sequester 50 times more carbon, grow faster, and remain stable for longer periods of time when left undisturbed. Additionally, wetlands provide benefits such as filtering pollutants and preventing flash flooding into downstream communities.
Many communities depend on wetlands to uphold their social and cultural ties to the land. Several Indigenous groups, such as the Aboriginal people throughout Australia, regard wetlands as cultural heritage sites and depend on the land to hunt and gather food. In addition, wetlands serve as an ideal location for recreational activities, and the United States experienced a record high spending of $394 billion on wetland recreational activities in 2022.
Despite their importance, wetlands have often been left unprotected. They have been viewed without value because they can be breeding grounds for mosquitoes and other pests, as well as barriers to transportation and development. An estimated 103 million acres of wetlands were destroyed between the 1600s to the 1980s due to the expansion of European settlements in the United States.
As the human population continues to grow, so does the need for more housing, food, and fuel. Building coastal homes, creating more agricultural land, and mining for fuel continue to be prioritized over wetland protection. This leads to the dredging and draining of wetlands, causing a loss in ecosystem services, social and cultural values, and biodiversity. In recent decades, governments on a local to global scale have enacted legislation to protect wetlands, but more still needs to be done.
Learn more about the global topic of wetlands by reading the full topic backgrounder. For more information about how to use the topic backgrounders, watch the short video below.
