Wetland- An Ecological Boon for the Environment
Wahied Khawar Balwan, Sachdeep Kour
Abstract
A wetland is an ecological community that is inundated either year around or seasonally. Wetlands are found from the tundra to the tropics and on every continent except Antarctica. There are many kinds of wetlands and many ways to categorize them. Two general categories of wetlands are recognized namely coastal or tidal wetlands and inland or non-tidal wetlands. Wetlands are among the most productive ecosystems in the world, comparable to rain forests and coral reefs. An immense biodiversity of species of microbes, plants, insects, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals can be part of a wetland ecosystem. Wetlands perform significant economic benefits to human society, including some ecosystem services that no other ecosystem can provide, including certain types of water quality improvement, flood protection, shoreline erosion control, and opportunities for recreation and aesthetic appreciation and natural products for our use at no cost. Protecting wetlands in turn can protect our safety and welfare. A primary intent of this article is to provide the reader with special interest in wetland delineation, wetland benefits, wetland mitigation and wetland biology. Wetlands are no more thought to be useless, disease ridden areas rather they are now considered to be an ecological boon for the environment!