Summary- According to an article called "Wetlands are disappearing fast: Urgent Action is Required," it exemplifies how wetlands have been vanishing over decades.
- These ecosystems are disappearing so fast that individuals are not realizing it. It has been occurring due to "residential and commercial development, conversion to agriculture, and the influx of invasive species." - Wetlands are not totally flooded by water, not completely dry, in fact, these are places rank among the richest ecosystems on Earth. - Wetlands are considered to be marshes, mangroves, bogs, swamps, bayous, prairie potholes, and other names. - They provide a habitat for plants and animals and they actually have more species than any lakes, rivers, grasslands, forests, or hillsides nearby. - Multiple types of migratory birds spend their winters in marshes. - They are full of "salamanders, frogs, turtles, snakes, and alligators." - As wetlands vanish, fish and migrating birds lose their habitats. - Multiple species are endangered. - One of the disadvantages for humans is that they are not able to fish anymore which creates economic problems for them. |
Wetlands are Disappearing Fast: Urgent Action is RequiredFacts- Canada is home to 25% of the world's wetlands.
- Canada's wetlands are the most important for the health of Canada and the health of our planet. - In the last few hundred years, more than half of the wetlands in the United States have vanished. - Louisiana holds 30% of the nation's coastal marshes along its meandering coastline, especially where the Mississipi River drains into the Gulf of Mexico. - 90% of marshes that have disappeared were located in Louisiana. - During the 20th century,1.2 million acres of land were lost. - Between 1990-2000, the equivalent of a football field-sized area of wetland disappeared every 38 minutes. - One of the reasons as for why this is happening is that the culprit is not normal erosion, which occurs when waves gnaw away at the land. In other words, marshes are falling apart from the inside out. |
Key Terms- Wetlands: land consisting of marshes or swamps; saturated land.
- Endangered: (of a species) seriously at risk of extinction. - Erosion: the process of eroding or being eroded by wind, water, or other natural agents. - Ecosystem: a biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment. - Invasive species: a plant, fungus, or animal species that is not native to a specific location (an introduced species), and that has a tendency to spread to a degree believed to cause damage to the environment, human economy or human health. - Migration: seasonal movement of animals from one region to another. |
Opinion
Throughout time, wetlands have been disappearing and scientists are concern about it. Wetlands are land that consists of marshes or swamps. They not only provide ecological benefits but also economic benefits. One ecological benefit is that they provide habitat for multiple fish and various species such as crocodile, alligator, lizard, amphibians, and others. They also serve as a place to reside for birds that are immigrating from somewhere else because the birds are able to make a stop and rest by using the marshes. Some economic benefits of wetlands are that it improves water quality, it controls flooding and others. For wetlands to not disappear completely, individuals must take actions. Some ways to save wetlands are to join programs that help restore and protect marshes, report illegal activities, and most importantly to always use the three R's which are reuse, recycle, and reduce.
|