Wetlands - The Global Importance of Wetlands
The East of England supports a wealth of natural and man-made wetlands, from The Broads to the Cambridgeshire Fens and the North Norfolk coast.
As one of the world’s most biodiverse habitats, they provide homes for many threatened species, whilst also acting as vital ‘service stations’ for millions of migratory birds.
These incredible havens for biodiversity also serve as carbon sinks, and help mitigate flooding as Dr James Robinson from the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust explains here:
From The Broads to the Suffolk coast, and from the Cambridgeshire Fens to the North Norfolk coast, the east of England supports a wealth of natural and man-made wetlands.
I know this because I used to live and work there and fell in love with these beautiful places and the amazing wildlife they support. I work for The Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT), the UK's leading wetland conservation charity, and you may have visited our Wetland Centre at Welney on the Ouse Washes. My colleagues and I visited the WildEast team last summer and were inspired by the vision to create and restore natural habitats, including wetlands, across this wonderful region. I’m so pleased we have a shared ambition for the wetlands of eastern England.
Our rivers, lakes, ponds, grazing marshes and estuaries have not always been treasured. Around 90% of our freshwater wetlands have been lost or damaged in England in the last 500 years and those that remain continue to face threats from pollution, unsustainable development, invasive species and climate change. The east of England is not immune to these threats, coastal wetlands have suffered, and habitats like the saltmarshes so iconic in Essex have declined in extent and quality across the UK. Securing sustainable water supplies for people and wildlife in the future is one of the region’s biggest challenges.
Wetlands are incredibly important to nature but they are more than just homes for wildlife or beautiful places to enjoy. They also function as critical sources of ‘natural capital’, the stocks of natural assets ranging from water to all living things that underpin our economy and wellbeing. We are depleting these natural resources at a rate faster than they can replenish and their loss and degradation is creating great concern.
Wetlands function as ‘blue infrastructure’, providing multiple essential benefits.
The Ramsar Convention, the international agreement on the conservation and wise use of wetlands, has shown that the contribution they make far outweighs those made by other ecosystems, offering so many valuable benefits that I will explain here.
Firstly, wetlands are one of the world’s most biodiverse habitats. They provide homes for many threatened species and act as vital ‘service stations’ for millions of migratory birds to rest and refuel. The east of England is full of wetland biodiversity with species like the Swallowtail butterfly and the European eel making a home in these places and sites like The Wash recognised as internationally important for the vast flocks of wetland birds they support.
Wetlands can help us slow down climate change by naturally absorbing and storing vast amounts of carbon. Science has shown that wetlands are the most effective carbon sinks on the planet; peatlands store twice as much carbon as all the world’s forests combined. These habitats also protect us from extreme weather events and help us to recover better from disasters. By storing rain like a sponge, and by buffering us from the sea they can protect us from the impacts of floods and storms that cause worry across the low-lying areas of the eastern region. Wetlands can also protect us from droughts and can reduce air temperatures by up to 10°C.
'Wetlands can help us slow down climate change by naturally absorbing and storing vast amounts of carbon.'
Wetlands have supported human life for millennia and are essential for human health and prosperity. From the Nile to the Mekong, civilisations sprang up around wetlands, and all around the world they continue to provide us with food, water, supplies, transport and leisure. Wetlands provide livelihoods for one billion people. We know 50% of international tourists seek relaxation in wetland areas, supporting millions of jobs, and the east of England is a place that benefits from this, especially in places like The Broads.
Wetlands not only hold most of our available fresh water, they also improve the quality of this water by naturally filtering pollutants. Wetlands can remove up to 60% of metals in water and eliminate up to 90% of nitrogen, purifying it so life can thrive. Constructed wetlands in rural and urban situations can offer these benefits whilst providing great places to live and work.
Finally, we also know our connection with nature, and particularly wetlands, is essential for maintaining our health and wellbeing. Research by WWT has shown that being around wetlands and their wildlife can help us regain a sense of peace and provide us with a place to recuperate and escape life’s daily stresses, reducing levels of anxiety and stress.
Based on all these amazing benefits, wetland creation provides an excellent return on investment. The UK Government’s Natural Capital Committee commissioned a report that showed there was ‘a good economic case for expanding the extent of wetland areas by around 100,000 ha’ to deliver these types of benefits. They estimated a cost ratio of such wetland creation can be as high as 9:1 and this is almost certainly an underestimate in some situations. Wetlands are great value for money.
'Being around wetlands and their wildlife can help us regain a sense of peace.'
Given the case I have made here, at WWT we are promoting the creation and restoration of 100 000 ha of wetlands across the UK to kick-start a blue recovery as we come out of the pandemic. I hope I’ve convinced you of the environmental, social and economic benefits of doing this and that it inspires those pledging support to WildEast to consider wetland creation and restoration as a commitment. This spring, we hope to be able to share with WildEast our ground-breaking maps of the opportunities for wetland creation across the region to help target action. With so many new opportunities to support wetland conservation, e.g. through the new environmental land management schemes and the forthcoming Biodiversity Net Gain approach, we think it’s time to build back wetter! We hope you do too and if you would like to know more about wetlands and how you can help us to deliver a blue recovery, please take a look at the WWT website at www.wwt.org.uk.
Dr James Robinson, WWT’s Director of Conservation
WildEast Blog
