Estimated Read Time: 6 minutes 30 seconds

Can’t see the forest for the wetland

By now, most of us know wetlands matter, but we don’t always know why – and to know why is to realize that like every superhero, wetlands need a little help from their friends.

Wetlands matter. We know this; we’re told this all the time.

What was once thought of as nothing more than a place for insects to breed and disease to fester – an ugly, pointless swampy wasteland – is now seen as something beautiful, diverse and important.

But sometimes we forget why they matter; sometimes knowing isn’t enough: we need to understand.

A stunning ~15% of Canada’s landmass is composed of wetlands – what accounts for nearly 25% of what remains in the world.

In a century, the world lost more than 64% of its wetlands. And guess what? 50% of those losses have come since 1970.

What drove the

disappearing

act?

Our needs.

We built houses and roads and malls over them and it’s probably why wetlands have disappeared from upwards of 98% our urban centres and only 0.2% of remaining wetlands can be found within a 40 kilometre radius of a Canadian city.

Which isn’t good, but it’s important to remember that cities only take up 0.25% of Canada’s land. So, what’s been the real driver? The conversion of land to agriculture.

You, me and everyone else in our growing population needs food and much of that has come from farms that were once wetlands – mostly because we thought converting wetlands to farms was a net good.

Oops.

Now we know that wetlands are amongst the most biologically diverse ecosystems on the planet – 40% of life on earth lives or breeds or feeds in a wetland, including 80% of birds. We also now know that 25% of life in wetlands is endangered.

And what we increasingly understand is the economic value of wetlands.

According to one study in Alberta, a place like Cranberry Marsh provides over a million dollars in economic services. Collectively, wetlands are valued at 70 billion to the global economy per year, with more than a billion people employed – directly or indirectly – by the role of wetlands in our world.

via GIPHY

The stats, they go on, but here’s what really matters:

Water. Water generation. Water filtration. Water storage. Carbon storage. Food security. Ecosystem management.

The punch line, of course, is wetlands do all of that.

A wetland is both a filter and sponge – it’s like the ultimate kitchen gadget that late night TV hasn’t invented, but is actually useful.

So long as they don’t get overwhelmed (they’re heroes, not miracle workers after all), wetlands can neutralize harmful bacteria and remove upwards of 60% of metal and 90% of nitrogenous compounds and sediment from the water.

Or, in terms you and I can understand, that wetland by your house is making your water clearer and cleaner – for drinking and for sustaining life that sustains us – while not only removing nitrogen compounds, but converting it to nitrogen gas, an essential building block of life.

And whether the wetland is creating water (wetlands can be headwaters!) or storing water (you know, for a rainy day…well, actually, for when it’s not rainy…or, even when it’s too rainy) or recharging water (taking that stored water and replenishing the ground water or water table), wetlands are our one stop shop for water management.

Which is useful! You know, preventing floods, stopping droughts and making sure there is water in the system for when we need it for our work, for our food supply or to just stay hydrated.

So, when just a half-hectare of wetland can filter and store three and a half million litres of flood water for that non-rainy rainy day? You start to see how a wetland pulls its weight economically.

In fact, humans have yet to master the genius of a wetland (and obviously we’ve tried), which means not only are we doing nature’s job poorly, but more and more communities (like New York City), are realizing – why spend (4-6 billion dollars per year) on waste treatment, when investing (one billion in conservation) can net you the same (New York did better) with nature’s service?!

And like any

good late night

infomercial,

I must say:

that’s not all!

Wetlands? They also store carbon. Like, really, really well.

Depending on the circumstances, they might be the best carbon storers of them all. Wetland soil might hold upwards of 40% of carbon found in all soil, even though it only represents 5-8% of the world’s soil. Powerful soil!

On the coast, wetlands, we’re learning, might actually be able to store more carbon than they already are with rising sea levels – like enough to off-set a million cars on the road per year.

via GIPHY

And guess what? Inland, freshwater wetlands hold ten times more carbon than saltwater wetlands. In the sub-boreal and boreal ecosystems, it’s believed they hold 26 years worth of carbon emissions and most of that storage is in their peaty wetlands.

So, even when we know wetlands matter, now you know why they matter.

But remember how wetlands were once everywhere and are now getting a bit scarce? To keep them around, it’s about more than just not paving one over.

Rehabilitation is great and, I guess if we get desperate, we can always start parachuting in a few beavers from the sky in the hopes they can build some.

(Wait, what? Yup, that happened.)

However, to be a true superhero for a biome this important, we need to look at the bigger picture and remember that a friend of a friend is, well, a friend.

Forests and wetlands go hand in hand. That super awesome job the boreal is doing at storing carbon? Wetlands might be doing the storing, but the forests are their security detail. They work together and neither functions well without the other.

In fact, US research shows that 42% of wetland loss in the last few decades is a direct result of deforestation – urban development was the culprit only 19% of the time and rural development 15% of the time.

Why are forests so important to wetlands? Well, remember how wetlands do their job effectively when they’re not overwhelmed?

The forest prevents erosion and doesn’t allow too much sediment into the water – whether at the Fraser River’s headwaters before reaching the Moose Lake marsh, or with the spring that bubbles up in the forest and runs a few metres into Cranberry marsh.

With forests taking that weight off a wetland’s reedy shoulders, the wetland is free to be its best self – filter-sponging that water and storing a bit of carbon while it’s at it.

Without the forest, it’s like cramming the night before an exam: the wetland gets too overwhelmed and can’t do anything well. That ultimately hurts the forest, degrades biodiversity, impacts our water table and costs us a few billion a year. And life, as a whole, becomes a bit harder.

So, love this wetland. Love your wetland. Love all wetlands.

They’re superheroes; they might even be the beating heart of the world.

But one heart doesn’t make a complete person – we need skin and bones and arteries and other organs, like a brain, to function. And we need to use our brain to remember that nature is the same.

Wetlands aren’t special in isolation; it’s the sum of the ecosystem’s parts that create the whole: the true superhero.

What do you think?

How much did you know about wetlands before this story? How did you know so much, or why did you know so little?
What was the most surprising thing you learned reading this story? Why did you find it surprising? How would you share what you’ve learn from this story with your friends and family?
Do you think wetlands matter? Why or why not?
How have your opinions on wetlands been influenced by media and pop culture?
Do you think your perspectives on wetlands have been shaped because of the media you’ve consumed in the past? How could you learn more about wetlands - and different perspectives - about wetlands going forward without it becoming a chore?
How do wetlands impact your world? If wetlands disappeared from your region, how might it affect your life? Would it?
Do you know of any wetlands in your neighbourhood? Are they doing well? How can you tell?
What local decisions impact wetlands? Are there any citizen science projects to help others learn about wetlands in your area? Are there community research programs? Any stories about wetlands? How might different careers influence the future of wetlands?
Do you think our society is making well informed decisions when it comes to wetlands? Why do you think that? What would you do better?
How might you be a better steward of wetlands through your passions and hobbies?
What do we not know when it comes to wetlands in Mount Robson, or your community? Do we know enough, or do we need to know more about their role in the ecosystem and their value to biodiversity to make important decisions for people and nature? If so, what?

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