Importance of Wetlands Wetlands are indispensable for the co | Upsc Environment

Importance of Wetlands

Wetlands are indispensable for the countless benefits or “ecosystem services” that they provide humanity, ranging from freshwater supply, food and building materials, and biodiversity, to flood control, groundwater recharge, and climate change mitigation.

Wetlands are habitat to aquatic flora and fauna, numerous species of native and migratory birds.

Wetlands are an important resource for sustainable tourism.

They carry out water purification, filtration of sediments and nutrients from surface water.

They help in nutrients recycling, groundwater recharging and stabilisation of local climate.

Play an important role in flood mitigation by controlling the rate of runoff.

Buffer (act as a riparian buffer) shorelines against erosion and pollutants.

They act as a genetic reservoir for various species of plants (especially rice