This year's World Wetlands Day aims to raise awareness and to highlight the vital roles of healthy wetlands in reducing the impacts of extreme events such as floods, droughts and cyclones on communities, and in helping to build resilience.
The Ramsar Convention also known as the Convention on Wetlands is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands. It was named after the city of Ramsar in Iran.
According to the World Wetlands Day organisation, here are the five types of wetlands that help the world cope with extreme weather that we are now experiencing.
1. Mangroves
Mangroves are salt-water tolerant shrubs and trees that grow in shallow, tropical coastal waters. Their roots bind the shoreline and each kilometer of mangrove forest can reduce a storm surge by 50cm, blunting the impact of cyclones/ hurricanes and tsunamis. Every hectare of mangrove and coastal marsh is worth up to $US15,161 a year in disaster-related services. Mangroves also store carbon dioxide, helping to fight climate change.
Mangroves (World Wetlands Day) Source: worldwetlandsday.org
2. Coral reefs
Coral reefs are solid structures found in shallow, tropical waters and are built by living colonies of tiny coral polyps. Home to a quarter of all marine species, and providers of eco-tourism livelihoods, coral reefs also act as offshore wave barriers. This protection from extreme events is worth up to US$33,556 (AU$44,395) per hectare every year. It’s also estimated that spending US$ 1million a year on restoring reefs at the Folkestone Marine Park on the west coast of Barbados could lower annual storm losses there by more than AU$26.4million (US$20 million).
Corals (Le Xuan) Source: Le Xuan
3. Rivers and flood plain
Over time, the winding curve or bend of rivers and streams create wide, silted floodplains. If these are left intact- with their related inland lakes and swamps - they can act as a giant reservoir. During sudden floods, they can spread and store flood water over a wide area, reducing damage downstream.
Rivers and floodplains (Livelihoods Fund) Source: Livelihoods Fund
4. Inland deltas
When rivers flow into a wide, flat inland lake without draining into the ocean, an inland delta is formed. In extremely arid areas, these seasonal flows are a strong natural safeguard against drought.
Inland deltas (GlobWetland Africa) Source: GlobWetland Africa
5. Peatlands
Peatlands are water-saturated lands containing decomposed plant material up to 30 meters deep that has accumulated over time. They cover 3% of the earth’s land surface. Key fact: peatlands store more than twice as much carbon as all of the world’s forests combined, so they play an important role in mitigating some effects of climate change.
Peatlands (Maris Pam) Source: Maris Pam
Wetlands in Australia
According to the Department of Environment and Energy website, Australia currently has 65 Ramsar wetlands that cover more than 8.3 million hectares. Ramsar wetlands are those that are representative, rare or unique wetlands, or are important for conserving biological diversity. These are included on the List of Wetlands of International Importance developed under the Ramsar convention.
Six of the best Australian wetlands
Wetlands in Kakadu National Park, NT (Photo: David Hancock) Source: David Hancock
With the 65 Ramsar listed Australian wetlands, the Australian Geographic, has listed these six best wetlands in Australia which are great places to seek out native birdlife.
1. The Coorong, and Lakes Alexandrina and Albert, (South Australia)
In summer a diverse range of waterbirds visit this 1405sq.km wetland. The Australian pelican, crested tern, fairy tern and the rufous night heron rely on it to breed. The area is 23 individual wetlands and is also home to the threatened southern bell frog.
2. Barmah Forest (Victoria)
The 28,500ha Barmah Forest wetlands provides natural control of flooding in the Murray River. The wetlands support 13 communities of vegetation – including the greatest extent of river red gum in Victoria – which provide vital habitats for native bats, parrots and possums.
3. Moulting Lagoon (Tasmania)
This is an estuary on the central east coast of Tasmania, north of Great Oyster Bay, and is home to up to 10,000 black swans. The name comes from the swans shedding their flight feathers, which pile up along the shore.
4. Macquarie Marshes (New South Wales)
Traditionally used by the Wayilwan people for ceremonies and burial grounds, these marshes, in north-western NSW, are comprised of swamps, lagoons and channels on the floodplains of the Macquarie River.
5. Mareeba Tropical Savanna and Wetland Reserve (Queensland)
This reserve, also known as the Mareeba Wetlands, is a sanctuary for almost all of Australia’s tropical waterbirds – at least 204 species. They are made up of 12 interconnecting lagoons, creeks and channels across a 2025ha reserve. Pandanus Lagoon is the largest and a drawcard for birdwatchers, attracting Australia’s only stork, the jabiru.
6. Kakadu National Park (North Territory)
This wilderness in the Top End is perhaps the most biodiverse place in Australia. The wetlands span the entire national park. In the Dry, from May to October, when the water contracts into billabongs, up to 3 million waterbirds accumulate, including jabiru, egrets, brolga and comb-crested jacana.
Taking care of our wetlands
Wetlands sustain lives. Healthy wetlands can reduce the damage caused by disasters and make recovery faster. Yet worldwide, wetlands are in alarming retreat; at least 64% of them have disappeared since 1900.
How can we take care of them?
Communities
• Find out how the wetlands in your area are being used or overused - and who depends on them. How do wetlands protect your area during extreme events?
• Adopt practices that ensure long- term sustainability of the local wetlands for everyone. Measures might include controlling illegal fishing and dumping, no –take rules, set catch limits and regulate the type of activities by season.
• Clear rubbish from wetlands, and unblock streams and rivers.
Policy-makers
Governments can include wetlands in their strategy for coping with disasters. Possible measures:
• Designate wetlands in flood- and storm-prone zones as protected areas.
• Restore degraded wetlands that act as protective barriers.
• Work with local stake holders and civil society to promote sustainable agriculture, fisheries and tourism.
• Adopt cross sectoral policies especially in agriculture and water to help protect wetlands.
Individuals
• Organize or join a wetland clean-up.
• Become a Wetland Ambassador advocate for wetlands.
• Use water more sparingly and avoid toxic products that drain into wetlands.
• Participate in actions to conserve and restore wetlands.
Coastal Protection Strategy for Tacloban, Philippines
Based on the World Wetlands Day data, in 2013, the city of Tacloban in the Philippines was struck by typhoon Haiyan, the deadliest tropical cyclone in the country’s history.
In 2016, a new natureand infrastructure-based plan was presented, showing how the area could “future-proof” itself against disasters. The Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO), the Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA) and experts from Deltares, Arcadis, Wetlands International, the Red Cross, Rebel and Van Oord suggested a combination of measures and outlined ways to fund them:
• restoration of mangroves and other ecosystems
• identifying specific sites along the coast for building infrastructure that works with nature
• capacity building for communities and government agencies
