The world has lost 64 per cent of its wetlands and the benefits they provide such as cleaning water, reducing flooding, preventing erosion, minimizing droughts and sheltering hundreds of species.
Wetlands seen as buffer against extreme weather
“We need to recognize that wetlands are our allies,” says Dan Kraus, a senior biologist with the Nature Conservancy of Canada. “As we’re living in a world where species are disappearing , where there’s greater uncertainty about our climate and we’re seeing things like more extreme weather and other events, wetlands… are actually going to help to buffer us from some of those impacts of climate change.”
It’s estimated that by 1990,k almost 20 million hectares of Canada’s wetlands had been lost. (Martine Lapointe)
Wetlands get drained or filled
Canada is home to one-quarter of the wetlands in the world. It’s estimated 45 soccer fields worth are lost each day. They are either drained or filled in. Canada has done a good job conserving some wetlands designating 37 sites as Wetlands of International Importance under the international Ramsar Convention.
But Kraus says more could be done such as completing a national wetland inventory and creating management plans. The Nature Conservancy of Canada and other groups do some work to protect and restore wetlands that have been destroyed.
February 2, 2019 has been designated World Wetland Day and Kraus says it’s a good occasion to remind the public of the critical role wetlands play for people and for nature.
World Wetland Day was designated to raise awareness about the services that wetlands provide to people and nature. (Nature Conservancy of Canada)
Dan Kraus says wetlands continue to be lost and must be protected.
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