Wetlands Essay

877 Words4 Pages
Wetlands Essay Wetlands are those ugly pieces of land that nobody wants. Everybody wants to change them into ponds or fill them in, but these ugly wetlands do a lot for the natural environment on our planet and without them, the world wouldn’t be like it is today. There are many different types of wetlands such as bogs or muskeg, mangrove swamp, marsh, coastal (salt-) marshes, fen, and swamp. Wetlands are a habitat for a huge number of wildlife species, there are many groups devoted to protecting the wetlands, and humans are the biggest factor in the destruction of wetlands. Wetlands are a natural habitat for many different wildlife species like migratory birds, shorebirds, ducks, geese, sandpipers, kingfishers, owls, and bears. Many animals that live in other habitats will use wetlands for migration or reproduction. For example, herons nest in large old trees, but need shallow flooded areas in order to wade for fish and aquatic life. Wetlands act as a natural filtering system while at the same time, they provide a natural flood barrier that slows down the runoff of spring melt water or storm water. In addition, wetlands help to reverse global warming by acting as a carbon sink. Wetlands also release vegetative matter into rivers, which helps feed fish and is a large part of their habitat. Wetlands are a very important aspect of the earth because without them we would have many floods and many animals wouldn’t have a home. Global warming would also be a much bigger problem threatening the world if it wasn’t for wetlands. There are many groups across Canada, both governmental and non-governmental, that are devoted to protecting, enhancing and restoring wetlands. Wetlands need to be saved from being destroyed by mankind starting with these groups. Ducks Unlimited Canada is the biggest group devoted to the preservation of wetlands around the planet. This
Open Document