Wetlands are one of the most viable types of ecosystems both on economic and natural diversity scales. In the terms of economics, wetlands provide various types of services including: water filtering or cleaning, carbon dioxide reclamation, and flood control.

Water runoff and groundwater is filtered and cleaned by the organisms that reside in wetlands. One of the most important filtering jobs of wetlands is that of denitrification. Humans has added a lot of nitrogen to the ecosystem from fertilizers, wetlands remove this extra nitrogen from the soil and return it to the atmosphere. In large doses nitrogen can act as a poison to plants. Wetlands help keep the nitrogen within livable limits for plants and animals.

Because wetlands are home to many, many plants this ecosystem is one of the primary carbon dioxide removal ecosystems. The plants found in the marshes, bogs and swamps use the carbon dioxide in photosynthesis removing it from the atmosphere helping to bring down the level of green house gases in the atmosphere.

Wetlands can also absorb and store vast amounts of water helping to prevent flood damage and providing flood control for the areas around it. Many coastal wetlands were buffers against heavy rains and hurricanes. In areas where the wetlands have been removed, there has been an increase in hurricane and flood damage. Wetlands can also store water that can be used during the drier months of the year by the organisms living in the area.

And of course, wetlands are home to many and various types of plants and organisms. They can also be used for recreational (fishing, nature watching, "swamp tours") purposes by humans as well. This are very valuable areas and once they are destroyed or drain they are hard to re-establish. Therefore we should do our very best to protect this very valuable resource.

Learn more about this author, Heather Lyon.
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