Environmental damage, along with climate change, is driving the water related challenges we see around the world. Floods, droughts and water pollution are all worsened by degradation of vegetation, soil, rivers and lakes. Restoring forests, grasslands and natural wetlands, reconnecting rivers to flood plains and creating buffers of vegetation along water courses are all nature-based solutions to aid the management of water availability and quality. Wetlands are another solution – and one of the best!

A wetland is an area that is permanently or seasonally saturated with water. When healthy, they have a rich diversity of animal and plant life. The characteristic vegetation of the aquatic plants found in a wetland are adapted to the unique hydric soil, which is the primary factor that distinguishes wetlands from other water bodies. A healthy wetland acts as a filtering system removing sediment, nutrients and pollutants from the water – improving water quality to downstream environments. By spreading and slowing flows, wetlands reduce erosion and prevent sediment transport downstream, where it might affect the ecology and productivity of other environments.

Wetlands are a critical part of our natural environment and water purification. They act as important sites for biodiversity and they provide services like reduced impacts from storm damage and flooding; recharging groundwater; carbon sequestration; drought resilience; shoreline stability; and stabilisation of climatic conditions.