Lecture_1: Introduction to wetlands ecology

What are wetlands?

The term coastal wetlands defines an area of land that is permanently or seasonally inundated
with fresh, brackish, or saline water and contains a range of plant species that are uniquely
adapted to the degree of inundation, the type of water that is present, as well as the soil
conditions.

Wetlands are areas where water is the primary factor controlling the environment and the
associated plant and animal life. They occur where the water table is at or near the surface of the
land, or where the land is covered by water.

Wetlands are known as the Earth's kidneys because, like your kidneys, they serve the very
important function of filtering water. As water moves through a wetland, the sediments and
pollutants stick in the wetland, making the water cleaner. Wetlands also help reduce flooding
and prevent shoreline erosion.

What's unique about all wetlands is that they contain vegetation that is specially adapted to
such wet conditions. Plants that live in wetlands must be quite tolerant of wet, productive soils.

“areas of marsh, fen, peat land or water, whether natural or artificial, permanent or temporary,
with water that is static or flowing, fresh, brackish or salt, including areas of marine water the
depth of which at low tide does not exceed six meters”.
- Ramsar Convention (Article 1.1)

Five major wetland types are generally recognized:

1. Marine (coastal wetlands including coastal lagoons, rocky shores, and coral reefs);
(Hikkaduwa, Pigeon Island)
2. Estuarine (including deltas, tidal marshes, and mangrove swamps); (Pambala-Chilaw
lagoon complex, Rekawa lagoon, Batticaloa estuary)
3. Lacustrine (wetlands associated with lakes); (Beira lake, Lake Gregory, Tissa wewa)
4. Riverine (wetlands along rivers and streams); (Mahaweli ganga, Gin ganga, Kala Oya)
5. Palustrine (meaning “marshy” - marshes, swamps and bogs); (Muthurajawela)

Why wetlands are important?

Wetlands are some of the most biologically productive natural ecosystems in the world,
comparable to tropical rain forests and coral reefs in their productivity and the diversity of
species they support. Aquatic plant life flourishes in the nutrient-rich environment, and energy
converted by the plants is passed up the food chain to fish, waterfowl, and other wildlife and to
us as well. In addition to the biological productivity of wetlands, an acre of wetland can store 1–
1.5 million gallons of floodwater. Although wetlands keep only about 5% of the land surface in
the conterminous United States, they are home to 31% of our plant species and support one-

CRM 2042: Ecology and Management of Coastal Wetlands | Ms. Ahalya Suresh
Lecture_1: Introduction to wetlands ecology

third of all endangered species. Wetlands are found on all continents except Antarctica and
their diversity is as broad as their geographic occurrences.

Wetlands are among the world‟s most productive environments. They are cradles of biological
diversity, providing the water and primary productivity upon which countless species of plants
and animals depend for survival. They support high concentrations of birds, mammals, reptiles,
amphibians, fish and invertebrate species. Wetlands are also important storehouses of plant
genetic material.

Global freshwater consumption raised six fold between 1900 and 1995 – more than double the
rate of population growth. One third of the world‟s population today lives in countries already
experiencing moderate to high water stress. By 2025, two out of every three people on Earth
may well face life in water stressed conditions.

The ability of wetlands to adapt to changing conditions, and to accelerating rates of change, will
be crucial to human communities and wildlife everywhere as the full impact of climate change
on our ecosystem lifelines is felt.

In addition, wetlands are important, and sometimes essential, for the health, welfare and safety
of people who live in or near them. They are amongst the world‟s most productive
environments and provide a wide array of benefits.

What are wetland services?

“The benefits people derive from ecosystems” – IUCN

Ecosystem services are the direct and indirect contributions of ecosystems to human well-being.

The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment defined four categories of ecosystem services that
contribute to human well-being, each underpinned by biodiversity. These are provisioning
services; regulating services; supporting services, and cultural services, and are defined as
follows:

1. Provisioning Services are ecosystem services that describe the material or energy
outputs from ecosystems.
- Food
- Water
- Medicinal resources
- Raw materials
2. Regulating Services are the services that ecosystems provide by acting as regulators.
- Climate regulation
- Air quality maintenance
- Carbon sequestration and storage
- Waste-water treatment

CRM 2042: Ecology and Management of Coastal Wetlands | Ms. Ahalya Suresh
Lecture_1: Introduction to wetlands ecology

- Erosion prevention
- Pollination
- Sediment regulation
3. Habitat or Supporting Services underpin almost all other services. Ecosystems provide
living spaces for plants or animals; they also maintain a diversity of different breeds of
plants and animals.
- Habitat for species
- Maintenance and storage of genetic diversity
4. ultural ervices include the non-material benefits people obtain from contact with
ecosystems. They include aesthetic, spiritual and psychological benefits.
- Recreation
- Mental and physical health
- Spiritual experience
- Tourism
- Aesthetic appreciation
- Art, culture and design

What are wetland values?

Alternately, the value of a wetland is an estimate of the importance or worth of one or more
of its functions to society. For example, a value can be determined by the revenue generated
from the sale of fish that depend on the wetland, by the tourist dollars associated with the
wetland, or by public support for protecting fish and wildlife.

This is why a central concept of environmental economics is total economic value (TEV),
which offers a useful framework for analysis. Primarily, TEV is composed of use values and
non-use values.

Use value involves some interaction with the resource, either directly or indirectly:

Direct use value: involves human interaction with the ecosystem itself rather than via the
services it provides. It may be consumptive or extractive use, such as fisheries or timber, or
it may be non-consumptive, as with some recreational and educational activities.

Indirect use value: derives from services provided by the ecosystem. This might, for
example, include the removal of nutrients, providing cleaner water to those downstream,
the prevention of downstream flooding and diseases and provision of information.

Non-use value is associated with benefits derived simply from the knowledge that the
ecosystem is maintained. By definition, it is not associated with any use of the resource or
tangible benefit derived from it, although users of a resource might also attribute non-use
value to it. It can be split into three basic components:

CRM 2042: Ecology and Management of Coastal Wetlands | Ms. Ahalya Suresh
Lecture_1: Introduction to wetlands ecology

Existence value: derived simply from the satisfaction of knowing that ecosystems continue
to exist, whether or not this might also benefit others (also associated with „intrinsic value‟).

Bequest value: associated with the knowledge those ecosystems and their services will be
passed on to descendants to maintain the opportunity for them to enjoy it in the future.

Altruistic value: derived from knowing that contemporaries can enjoy the goods and
services ecosystems provide.

Finally, another category not immediately associated with the initial distinction between use
values and nonuse value includes:

Option value: an individual derives benefit from ensuring that ecosystem services will be
available for his or her own use in the future (sustainability value)

CRM 2042: Ecology and Management of Coastal Wetlands | Ms. Ahalya Suresh