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Mail address: P O Box 245 6906 North Perth, WA, Australia
E-mail: http://www.informaction.org/index.php?main=helpus_contactus Information for Action is a non profit environmental organization committed to environmental change in our global community. Work on the website began in 1999 by President Rowland Benjamin and is maintained by a group of talented volunteers.

Wetlands

Introduction

Termite mound on Wetlands page. Image by Information for Action, a website for conservation and environmental issues offering solutions

Natural wetlands can differ considerably in appearance. Some are wet all the time while others are seasonal and dry out for part of the year. Some contain fresh water while others contain salt water. Wetlands vary considerably in size from small areas of only a few hectares through to wetlands several hundreds of square kilometres in area. Wetlands vary seasonally and are dependent on rainfall. They include bodies of water that are static (like a lake or swamp) or flowing (like a river or stream). In a large number of cases wetlands have been modified by human activity such as farming or the building of roads or dams.

We can broadly define wetlands as low lying areas where the watertable is always at or near the surface. They are often characterised by sluggish or standing water that can create an open water habitat for wildlife. There are many different types of wetlands including bogs, swamps, mires, ferns, lakes, floodplains, rivers, damp lands, mound springs, estuaries, billabongs, marshes, mud flats, mangrove forests and other wet ecosystems found throughout the world. They are found on every continent except Antarctica and in every climate from the tropics to the tundra. The world’s wetlands are thought to be from 7 to 9 million kilometres or about 4 to 6 percent of the earth’s surface with 56 percent found in tropical and subtropical regions of the world.

Wetlands have long been regarded as wastelands, but are now recognised as important features in the landscape that provide benefits for people and other animals. They are home to an abundant variety of plants, water bugs, reptiles, birds, fish, frogs and mammals. They are considered to be 'biological supermarkets' because of the extensive food webs and rich biodiversity they support, and are among the most productive environments in the world forming a link between our land and the water resources which humans rely on. Wetlands are directly associated with their surrounding landscape, meaning that activities which occur outside the wetland, as well as within, can have an impact on the health of the wetland and the productivity of this environment.

Map of Earth and Wetlands. Image by Information for Action, a website for conservation and environmental issues offering solutions

A map of the Earth with the major wetlands shown in red

What you can do

You can conserve and restore wetlands that occur on your own property or encourage local landowners to protect wetlands.

You could direct your efforts towards supporting one of the larger national or global environmental organisations through financial contributions, fundraising or protest actions. If there is an endangered wetland in your local region, you may find there is a local environmental organisation you can join or who will be able to provide you with more information.

Use our lobbying service to write a letter or email your government and ask them to fulfil their obligations to conserve and protect wetlands of significance.

Write a letter or email to the editor of your local newspaper; urge him or her to publish your concerns about these issues

Reduce the amount of fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides applied to lawns and gardens.

See if your government has a volunteering for wetlands programme as this would enable you to directly clean up a wetland or help remove invasive species.

Write a letter or email to the editor of your local newspaper; urging him or her to publish your concerns about wetland conservation.

Write to your local government if you are aware of urban development threatening wetlands.

Links:

Wetlands - History

Wetlands - Benefits

Wetlands - Threats

Wetlands - Effects

Wetlands - Examples

Wetlands - Solutions

Bibliography

Search our database for the contact details of organizations that directly address Wetlands


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