The Drainage and Destruction of Wetlands

The loss of wetlands also leads to flooding and decreased quality of water in lakes, rivers, and tributaries. Wetlands serve as nature’s sponge and filter, absorbing excess water and cleaning the chemicals, sediments, and excess nutrients that enter the surface water. When wetlands are destroyed, these functions are no longer performed.The major cause of wetland loss is conversion to agricultural use.

Other activities that displace wetlands include residential development, building of roads, utility rights of way, and the creation of sites for large facilities. The regulation of water levels has also caused the shrinkage of wetlands, and a concomitant reduction in the diversity of plant communities and the number of plant species.

Wetlands have been drained, diked and filled to make way for houses and buildings, highways and roadways. Some wetlands still exist, but have been degraded by the effects of fertilizers, pesticides and oil runoff while other wetlands have been threatened by non-native plants. These impaired wetlands cannot function properly in the ecosystem. It is important that we work to protect and restore wetlands so that they can continue to play a critical role


A lot of wetland loss is attributable to agricultural activities, such as draining, diking and plowing of wetlands. Other human activities that lead to wetlands destruction include:

• Development projects, such as subdivisions, shopping malls and business parks
  


• Dikes and levees along rivers to divert flood waters
  


• Pollution
  


• Logging
  


• Mining
  


• Road construction
  


• Non-native invasive plants
  


• Grazing
  
  While the cause for wetland losses worldwide vary, it is clear that human activity has had the greatest impact. While natural events may worsen the losses, it is increasingly important that humans recognize the significant benefits of these areas in terms of biodiversity and the human benefits they offer with regards to both the landscape and economy.

Generally speaking, if wetlands were lost at a greater rate, there could be incredibly significant impacts to both human and wildlife populations. The ecosystem as well as human systems (most notably the economy) would suffer greatly. Wetlands loss has already resulted in dwindling numbers of a variety of species and this in turn has had an impact on the food chain and thus other related species.

What is most significant about wetlands loss is that it is a chain reaction. There is no aspect of the losses that has an impact on just one factor—everything is related in a series of complex ways.