Importance of Wetlands

In wetlands, abundant water accumulates permanently or temporarily. Not all of them have the same characteristics, since they can have stagnant waters or currents similar to those of rivers. On the other hand, its water can be salty as in the sea or sweet as in the rivers.

Most of them have a natural origin, but some of them have been created by man for some type of cultivation or as a recreational area.

A strategic water reserve

Without the resource of water, cultivation or any civilized form of existence is impossible. In this sense, wetlands are important because they represent the largest water reservoirs on the planet. This implies that many forms of life depend directly on them. These ecosystems contain abundant nutrients that allow the survival of very diverse animal and plant species.

It should be noted that in these environments large amounts of carbon settle in the soils and carbon It is essential for the development of plants, which are essential to stop the advance of greenhouse effect

. It should not be forgotten, on the other hand, that the process of photosynthesis it is also directly related to the role of wetlands.

Many migratory birds depend on the state of the wetlands, as they are used as obligatory stops for reproduction or feeding of the birds. Thus, if a wetland disappears along the route of a migratory species, that species could disappear.

The wetlands accumulate water during the rainy season and when it stops raining they release all the accumulated water for months. For this reason, it could be said that these ecosystems are responsible for the distribution of the water.

Wetlands can be used to treat wastewater

Through engineering techniques it is possible to channel polluted water and, after a transformation process, turn the water into a good for human consumption. To make this possible, plants that adapt well to wetlands are used, such as the rush or cattail. If we take the cattail as a reference, this herbaceous plant easily absorbs heavy minerals from the areas where it lives and, therefore, it is considered a decontaminating plant.

For this process to be possible, it is necessary to create water confinement systems, since in this way the water does not cross the limits of the wetland (one of the essential aspects is the creation of artificial septic tanks in which solid materials accumulate contaminants). This type of wastewater treatment systems have a comparatively lower cost than other much more technologically sophisticated procedures.

Images: Fotolia. Silvano Rebai – Curious