Healthy floodplains can help increase flood protection, recharge aquifers, and improve wildlife habitat. This animated feature illustrates how we can harness these rich ecosystems to benefit both people and wildlife. Keep up with The Nature Conservancy’s latest efforts to protect nature and preserve life on Twitter (http://nature.org/twitter),
Facebook (http://nature.org/facebook),
Instagram (http://nature.org/instagram),
Linked (http://Innature.org/linkedin)
and Tiktok (http://nature.org/tiktok). Text NATURE to 97779 to join The Nature Conservancy on text. To sign-up for nature e-news visit: https://preserve.nature.org/page…. 00:00 Introduction
00:40 Why floodplains are good for farmers, water and wildlife
01:17 What happens when floodplains are altered
01:58 Flooding in altered rivers
02:54 Managing flooding with flo
Why Are Wetlands Important
Welcome to our exploration of one of nature’s most vital ecosystems: wetlands. In this video, we delve into why wetlands are crucial to our planet, the alarming causes and effects of their disappearance, and the steps we can take to protect and restore them.
🔹 Introduction to Wetlands:
Discover the unique characteristics of wetlands and their role in the natural world.
🔹 Importance of Wetlands:
Learn how wetlands act as natural water purifiers, flood protectors, carbon sinks, and biodiversity hotspots.
🔹 Causes and Effects of Wetland Disappearance:
Understand the human activities leading to wetland destruction and the severe consequences for our environment.
🔹 How We Can Protect Wetlands:
Find out what actions can be taken to conserve and restore these vital ecosystems, including conservation efforts, restoration projects, and educational initiatives.
Wetlands are more than just soggy patches of land. They are vibrant, life-sustaining ecosystems crucial for maintaining the health of our planet. By understanding their importance and taking action to protect them, we can ensure that these invaluable landscapes continue to thrive for generations to come.
Protect Wetlands, Protect Ou
Wetlands : Marshes ,Swamps and Everglades
wetlands #swamps #everglades #ngscience @NGScience
https://ngscience.com
Wetlands are essential to the planet’s health, and are often divided into three types — swamps, marshes, and the unique Everglades. While these ecosystems share many similarities, each has distinct characteristics that set it apart. Let’s dive in and explore some of the subtle differences.
Marshes:
Marshes are wetlands dominated by soft-stemmed plants like grasses, reeds, and sedges. They thrive in shallow water, often located at the edges of lakes, rivers, and coastal regions. These wetlands are rich in biodiversity, providing a home for countless species of birds, fish, and aquatic plants. One prime example of a marsh is the Pantanal in South America, the largest tropical wetland in the world. With seasonal floods and a vast array of wildlife, it embodies the true essence of a marsh—shallow waters teeming with life.
Swamps:
Swamps, on the other hand, are wetlands dominated by woody plants, such as trees and shrubs. Unlike marshes, swamps are known for having standing or slow-moving water, often deeper and more stagnant. A well-known example is the Okefenokee Swamp in the southeastern United States. However, not all swamps are expansive. Take the Dismal Swamp in Virginia, a smaller example that blurs the line between a swamp and a forest, with its dense thickets of cypress trees and dark, peaty water, it’s an area rich in history and wildlife but small enough that it’s not classified as a full wetland system.
Everglades:
The Everglades represent a unique type of wetland ecosystem—technically a subtropical freshwater marsh. Interestingly, there are only two places in the world where true Everglades exist: the well-known Everglades of southern Florida, and another, lesser-known region in Noosa, Queensland, Australia. Both are characterized by slow-moving water, tall sawgrass, and a wide variety of wildlife. These ecosystems are often referred to as “rivers of grass,” a phrase that perfectly captures their unique nature—vast, shallow, and continuously flowing wetlands unlike any other on Earth.
So, while these wetlands share certain traits, the distinctions between marshes, swamps, and the Everglades give each of them their own ecological identity, contributing to the richness of our planet’s aquatic ecosystems.
Watch some of our related videos to discover the diverse and unique wildlife that inhabit these amazing
Wetlands Types and it’s Importance ,Threats to wetlands
A wetland is typically an area of land that is completely saturated with water whether through out the year or only during certain seasons..
The primary factor that distinguish wetland from other landform or water bodies is the characteristic vegetation of aquatic plants and adopted to the unique hydric soil.
Water in the wetland is either fresh water or brackish or salt water.
Wetland are also considered the
most biologically diverse of all ecosystem.
Wetland can be tidal or non-tidal.
Types of wetlands:
1 .Swamp wetland
2.Marsh wet land
3.Bog wetland
4.Fen wetland
5.Mangrove wetland.
Largest wetland in the world:
1 .Pantanal wetland in south America
2.Amazon River Basin in south Africa
3.The western Siberian plain in Russia
4.The Sunderbans in the Ganges-Brahmaputra Delta in India
Importance of Wetlands:
1.Wetlands are the most productive habitat on the planet as they contain high number of plants and animals species including mammals,birds,fishes and invertebrates.
2.Wetlands are best known to prevent flooding.
3.Wetland microbes and plants are part of nutrient cycles for nitrogen and sulphur.
4.Store carbon within their plant communities and soil instead of it to release in atmosphere as carbon dioxide.
5.Many animals that live in other habitat use wetlands for migration or reproduction.
6.Wetlands also clean the water by filtering out sedimentation.
7.Wetlands controls soil erosion.
8.Important role in transport, tourism, cultural and spiritual well being of people.
Threats to Wetlands:
1.Unsustainable development:
over the last 300 years,87% of the world’s wetlands have been lost.During this time,thousand hectares of land have been drained to provide land for housing,industry and agriculture.
- Pollution:
80% of our global wastewater is released into wetlands untreated.Pollution from factories,fertilisers,pesticides all pose seroius threats to wetlands.
3.Climate Change:
Change in rainfall and temperature pose a significant threat to wetlands,causing them dry out.This is just one of the reason that wetlands species like Amphibian,migratory birds and corals are among the first and hardest hit by climate change
4- Mining
5.Dumping
6 -Draining
6
World Wetlands Day 2022 : Importance of wetlands at the time of climate change
Just as forests are called the ‘lungs of the earth’, wetlands are the ‘kidneys’ that regulate water and filter waste from the landscape. Wetlands include mangroves, peatlands and marshes, rivers and lakes, deltas, floodplains and flooded forests, rice-fields, and even coral reefs.
Wetlands exist in every country and in every climatic zone, from the polar regions to the tropics, and from high altitudes to dry regions. In India, around 4.63% of the geographical area is wetlands. A total of 757,060 wetlands have been mapped in the country.
But, why are wetlands important? What are its benefits?
Wetland ecosystems support a host of animal and plant life and they are critically important for the survival of humans too, from the mitigation of Climate Change to the protection of human settlements from floods. If we protect wetlands, we also protect our planet and ourselves. But sadly, 50% of the world’s wetlands have been destroyed. Without suitable wetland habitat, many species could soon be homeless. Let us explore the benefits of wetlands in detail:
- Wetlands purify our water
Wetlands are great filters! They trap sediments and remove pollutants, which helps to purify water. This certainly beats expensive, human-made filtration systems. - Wetlands store our water to ensure supply during dry periods
Wetlands work like giant sponges. They store water and then slowly release it, and this helps to deal with dry seasons with little rainfall. - Wetlands can prevent floods
When rivers burst their banks, wetlands can store the excess water, and slow it down so it distributes more evenly over a floodplain. The roots of trees and other vegetation also help slow the speed of flood waters. - Wetlands recharge groundwater
In the past, city planners either filled in wetlands areas or dammed them, adding pipes that would lead the water to the ocean as fast as possible. But now we know that wetlands allow water to soak into the ground, and to replenish the natural ground-water supply. - Wetlands help to control erosion
Sediments are also trapped by wetlands. In a semi-arid country like South Africa, the role of wetlands in trapping sediments, before the sediment-laden water joins a river course and just washes away, is really useful. - Wetlands provide shelter for juvenile fish
Fish larvae and fish fry (juveniles) use the calm, shallow waters of wetlands as a nursery. - Wetlands provide homes for animals and plants
Biodiversity is high around wetlands habitats. These areas provide food and shelter for many animals, in particular bird species such as herons, spoonbills and flamingos, and amphibians such as frogs. - Wetlands provide food for livestock
Wetlands provide good areas for grazing, and the variety of grasses, along with a supply of running water, can be beneficial to farming livestock. - Wetlands protect biodiversity
Many different kinds of creatures depend on wetlands – and on each other. The insects that are attracted to the plants provide food for other animals like fish, frogs and birds, who in turn attract other predators. The biodiversity of wetlands has produced some incredible specialist species that are only found in these habitats. - Wetlands provide locations for recreation
Wetlands provide people a place to visit, where they can enjoy nature walks, picnics, birding, fishing or even sailing. As more people flock to cities, these recreational spaces in nature become even more valuable.
During COP13 the Ramsar Convention introduced the Wetland City Accreditation, which recognizes 18 cities that have taken exceptional steps to safeguard their urban wetlands. These pioneer cities will serve as examples and inspire deliberate actions for other cities towards sustainable urbanization.
Currently in India, 47 wetlands, with a surface area of over a million hectares are designated as wetlands of international importance under the Ramsar Convention. One of the most important ones in this list is the 55 acre East Kolkata Wetlands (EKW). It is the world’s only fully functional organic sewage management system. These wetlands are Kolkata’s free sewage remediation works, a fertile aquatic garden and, most importantly, a natural flood defence for the low-lying city.
The capital, Delhi, has identified 1,043 water bodies but none are notified. This, however, could soon change, with the Capital expected to notify 10 major lakes and water bodies as wetlands by the end of March. The Delhi State Wetland Authority (DSWA) is expected to release a draft notification for each water body under the Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules of 2017.
Down to Earth is Science and Environment fortnightly published by the Society for Environmental Communication, New Delhi. We publish news and analysis on issues that deal with sustainable development, which we scan through the eyes of science an
Discover what urban wetlands are worth !
In Colombo, Sri Lanka, IWMI’s host country, we are helping discover and promote the true worth of the city’s unique wetland ecosystem – to mitigate flooding, incentivize green investment, bolster food security and in other ways make the city more livable for all. This is the compelling message of our new video on the Colombo Wetlands Complex, which is a nominee for the urban wetlands accreditation scheme of the Ramsar Convention, an intergovernmental treaty that promotes the conservation and wise use o
Why we must protect wetlands
Wetlands across the world are drying up and burning — here’s how we can protect them.
» Subscribe to NowThis Earth: https://go.nowth.is/Earth_Subscribe
» Sign up for our newsletter KnowThis to get the biggest stories of the day delivered straight to your inbox: https://go.nowth.is/KnowThis
Wetlands provide clean water and food, serve as home for thousands of species, and mitigate climate change — but they’re drying up and burning.
These ecosystems where the land is typically saturated with water — like swamps, marshes, and floodplains — cover nearly 500,000 acres across the world, and they’re protected by the Ramsar Convention treaty.
But they’re under constant threat from urban growth, drought, and wildfires. The increase and intensity of severe weather events are leading to acidification, cracking, and compaction of the soil, leaving ecosystems much more fragile.
Learn more: http://go.nowth.is/3rdFCwg
Wetlands #Drought #Climate #Earth #Environment #Science #NowThis
Connect with NowThis
» Subscribe to NowThis News: http://go.nowth.is/News_Subscribe
»
Tweet us on Twitter: http://go.nowth.is/News_Twitter
» Follow us on Instagram: http://go.nowth.is/News_Instagram
» Find us on Snapchat Discover: http://go.nowth.is/News_Snapchat
NowThis Earth is daily news coverage of climate, sustainability, biodiversity, species extinction, environmental justice, and other planetary concerns.
NowThis is your premier news outlet providing you with all the videos you need to stay up to date on all the latest in trending news. From entertainment to politics, to viral videos and breaking news stories, we’re delivering all you need to know straight to your social feeds. We live where you live.
/ nowthisearth
@NowThisEarth
မှတ်ဖွယ်မှတ်ရာ စာပဒေသာ 