Essay On Freshwater Wetlands

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Recommended: Ecological impacts of wetlands

1.1. Introduction to wetlands
Freshwater wetlands are a unique and valuable resource constituting about 6% of the land surface on Earth. They sustain a multitude of unique biological species and provide high levels of primary productivity (Graham & Mendelssohn, 2010). Compared to other natural environments, plant primary productivity in wetland ecosystems is among the highest known (Benner, Maccubbin & Hodson, 1884). Wetlands serve essential ecological functions which provide many important services to human society. Flood mitigation and water filtration are essential services. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), an acre of wetlands are able to store over 1 million gallons of flood waters. Water Storage by wetlands can slow down water’s momentum and reduce erosion in surrounding areas, as well as reduce flood heights, support groundwater recharge and contribute water to other systems during dry periods. In addition to these benefits, wetlands have high biological productivity. 31 percent of the plant species of the United States are found in wetlands. About half of the bird species in North America depend on wetlands for either feeding or nesting. Because of their high productivity, wetlands are able support commercial shellfish and fishing industries as well as ecotourism activities (such as fishing, bird watching, hunting and photography) that bring in billions of dollars to the national economy annually (EPA.gov, 2001). However, the value of freshwater wetlands has historically been overlooked. According to the Environmental Protection Agency over half of the estimated 220 million acres of wetland that existed in the United States in the 1600s have now been drained or converted t...

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...nd, fire regimes, and nutrient cycling. As a result these changes have negatively impacted and changed populations of native species including plants, wading birds and fish populations. Since the 1980s, there has been an effort towards conservation and restoration of the Everglades to how it had functioned at the turn of the century. The creation of the Save Our Everglades Program in 1983, the Florida Preservation 2000 act in 1990 (which provided funding for land acquisition for conservation and recreation), The Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) of 1992 (which re-examined previously implemented flood control practices), and The Everglades Investment Act of 2000 (which committed Florida to a 50% cost share for Everglades restoration), have been some of the recent legislation efforts made to study, conserve and restore the Everglades (Lodge, 2010).

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