In fact, scientific studies show that 64 per cent of the world\u2019s wetlands have disappeared since 1900. Measured against 1 700, an estimated 87 per cent have been lost.<\/p>\n
Today, February 2, people around the world will be recognising World Wetlands Day.<\/p>
Wetlands are everywhere:<\/p>\n
* Wetlands are land areas that are saturated or flooded with water either permanently or seasonally.<\/p>
* Inland wetlands include marshes, ponds, lakes, fens, rivers, floodplains, and swamps.<\/p>\n
* Coastal wetlands include saltwater marshes, estuaries, mangroves, lagoons and even coral reefs.<\/p>\n
* Fish ponds, rice paddies, and salt pans are human-made wetlands.<\/p>\n
* Wetlands range in size from less than a single hectare to the Pantanal in Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay, which covers an area three times the size of Ireland.<\/p>\n
Less than three per cent of the world\u2019s water is fresh, and most of that is frozen.<\/p>\n
Yet every human requires 20 to 50 litres of water a day for basic drinking, cooking and cleaning.<\/p>\n
In some regions, notably Asia, the loss of wetlands is even higher.<\/p>\n
Inland wetlands are disappearing quicker than coastal ones, but the overall trend is clear.<\/p>\n
As a result, access to fresh water is declining for one to two billion people worldwide, while flood control, carbon storage and traditional wetland livelihoods all suffer.<\/p>\n
According to WWF\u2019s Living Planet Index, the populations of freshwater species, declined by 76 per cent between 1970 and 2010.<\/p>\n
The main causes of the degradation and loss of wetlands are:<\/p>\n
* Major changes in land use, especially an increase in agriculture and grazing animals.<\/p>\n
* Water diversion through dams, dikes and canalisation infrastructure development, particularly in river valleys and coastal areas.<\/p>\n
* Air and water pollution and excess nutrients.<\/p>\n
Wetlands provide our water needs and help replenish the groundwater aquifers that are an important source of fresh water for humanity.<\/p>\n