By Rowland Benjamin

There are several benefits from wetlands such as:

• Wetlands are important spawning, nursery and feeding grounds for many fish species including commercial and recreationally important fish such as the Australian barramundi and coral trout. They also provide food, habitat and breeding grounds for numerous rare and endangered species.

• Wetlands help regulate the water cycle and control floods by acting as a giant sponge and soaking up excess water. They also slow down water flow, giving flood waters more time to recede.

• They improve water quality by breaking down, removing, using or retaining nutrients, organic waste and sediment carried to the wetland with run-off from the watershed and often stop pollutants from entering surrounding waters.

• They provide refuge and rest areas for migratory waterbirds that breed in the northern hemisphere in countries such as China and Siberia.

• They protect stream banks and shorelines from erosion.

• Wetlands recharge groundwater, potentially reducing water shortages during dry spells.

• Many wetlands, such as gnamma holes in the Gibson Desert of Australia, benefit certain communities as they are of cultural significance.

• They provide important refuges for wildlife in drought.

• They provide food and other products, such as commercial fish and shellfish for human use.

• They are often aesthetically pleasing and have intrinsic natural beauty. They provide opportunities for recreational activities such as boating, swimming, fishing, hunting, bushwalking and bird watching. They have been found to contribute over 1.6 billion dollars to the U.S. economy yearly as well as significant amounts to other countries through tourism.

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