Wetlands

Value of Wetlands

Wetlands provide all the following and more...

• Breeding grounds for marine animals, crustaceans, fish, etc. The fishing industry in Queensland depends on this resource.

• A breeding and resting place for birds. Those wader birds that visit each year from the northern hemisphere are particularly dependent on wetlands for their survival, as are many native species.

• Habitat for many animals, including some that are endangered.

• A drought refuge for wildlife, including the koala and other mammals.

• Shelter and refuge for many plant species that are now becoming rare. Some species only grow in the wetland environment and will not survive outside the wetlands.

• Purifiers of water by trapping sediments and nutrients. However, too much pollution will eventually destroy them.

• Providers of protection from floods as they absorb and slowly release water. This also assists in the control of erosion.

• Protectors of biodiversity.

Types of wetlands

Wetlands are broadly defined as areas of permanent or temporary shallow open water. Included in this are:

• mangroves

• swamps

• lakes and billabongs

• mud flats

• marshes

• rivers

• creeks and flood plains

What you can do

• Join a group that aims to protect wetlands.

• Make a donation towards wetland protection.

• Write to your local State and Australian Government representatives and ask them to ensure the wetlands are protected.

• Never disturb feeding or resting birds, particularly wader birds.

• When out for a walk, keep your dog under control at all times.

• Animals such as flying foxes rest during the day so take care not to disturb them.

• Never dump rubbish in wetland areas, particularly garden waste.

Wetlands of the world are under increasing threat from man. Pollution, drainage, filling and general misuse are all destroying the wetlands at an alarming rate.

The wetlands are rich in life forms, all of which have an interdependence. These in turn feed and nurture a mass of other creatures who visit the wetlands periodically.

If these wetlands disappear, all the animals in them are lost, and all the animals that depend on the wetlands also vanish.

Wetlands support a huge diversity of animals from bacteria working up to insects, reptiles, frogs, fish, turtles, birds and mammals, etc. Some of these occur nowhere else on Earth.

Wetlands are also a refuge for plants that rely on this wet habitat for their survival.

Links

CRC for Coastal Estuary and Waterway Management
http://www.coastal.crc.org.au/

CRC for Freshwater Ecology
http://enterprise.canberra.edu.au/WWW/www-crcfe.nsf

Healthy Waterways
http://www.healthywaterways.org/

Carbrook Wetlands
http://www.users.bigpond.com/carbrook10/