Climate Change
From WetlandLink
How can restoring and preserving wetlands help in the battle against climate change?
Climate change is a now regarded as a reality rather than a possibility. One of the greatest challenges we face is how to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
Wetlands are natural carbon sinks and act as a carbon prison by removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and locking it away. As wetland plants grow they absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen. When the plants die they sink below the water table where there is very little oxygen, so they don’t easily rot and gradually become peat. These anaerobic conditions are ideal for long-term carbon sequestration (storage). Although wetlands do leak methane (another greenhouse gas), current investigations show it does not appear to outweigh the benefits of carbon sequestration (Lovett, 2008).
In addition to acting as carbon repositories, wetlands provide a whole range of services to the environment which may become even more valuable in a warming climate:
- Healthier waterways
- Flood detention basins which reduce the impacts of flooding
- Fish nursery and habitat areas
- Drought refuges for stock and wildlife
- Nutrient capture and recycling
- Filtering and capture of sediment
- Significant habitat areas for wildlife - quality of life & ecotourism contribution
- Great places to look at and visit - quality of life & ecotourism contribution
- Waterway, riparian, and habitat connections between other natural areas - quality of life & ecotourism contribution
References: Lovett, R. (2008) Carbon lockdown. New Scientist, 3 May 2008
