By Rowland Benjamin

It is impossible to undo all the damage that has already been done to wetlands as a result of past actions but it is important to prevent more damage occurring, especially in areas where wetlands are still present. This can be achieved, not by preventing people from accessing wetlands but rather through sustainable utilisation, this means not taking more from the earth's natural system than it can provide, therefore not tipping the natural balance that exists in all ecosystems.

Wetlands in developing countries are the most at risk as people tend to exploit these environments but again sustainable practices can be encouraged here too to protect wetlands. In areas where wetlands have been negatively impacted it is possible to restore this environment.

Dams are important to human survival and it would be impossible to stop the construction of all dams around the world. However the construction of dams often stops water from flowing into wetlands, especially when these dams are large. Dam sizes should be restricted with only small dams being allowed.

Introduced species, rubbish and pollutants should be removed or decreased in numbers from the wetlands to ensure they are in a healthy condition and can effectively carry out their role in the environment.

It is possible to restore wetlands by trying to fix or remove the impact that has caused the degradation. In a number of cases wetlands have been drained or have had the flow of water disrupted in some way. In these cases water flow needs to be restored or maintained at a level which will enable the wetland to function adequately.

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