Freshwater Wetland Resources and Biology

The term “wetlands” means those areas that are inundated or saturated by surface water or groundwater at a frequency and duration sufficient to support a prevalence of vegetation typically adapted for life in saturated soil conditions. They are located at the ecotones between dry terrestrial ecosystems and permanently wet aquatic ecosystems. As such, they have an intermediate hydrology, a biochemical role as source, sink or transformer of chemicals, and generally high productivity if they are open to hydrologic and chemical fluxes. Wetlands have an almost unlimited capacity for accumulation of organic matter, and hence act as a major sink for carbon. However, they also comprise a large source of methane emissions, accounting for one-fifth of the total fluxes to the atmosphere at present. They therefore play a significant role in the global greenhouse gas balance. Wetlands have many positive ecological and environmental functions which society values. In order to maximize these values there will need to be a balance struck between wetland conservation, sustainable utilization and economic development.