Wetlands such as estuaries, swamps and marshes have the same productivity as tropical rainforests. Why does this make protection of wetlands so important?

The region of the land, which is saturated or surrounded by water is known as the wetland. The wetlands comprise marshes, peatlands, and swamps and exhibit distinct ecosystem that assists the aquatic and the biotic life dependent upon them to thrive for a longer duration.  

In comparison to the ecosystems like coral reefs and the rainforests, the wetlands are one of the most productive ecosystems known. The wetlands help in providing food, fresh water supply, building material, habitat to the aquatic life, and also assists in filling the aquifers.  

However, due to various human activities and modifications in climate, the wetlands are getting declined. It is very essential to sustain the existence of the wetlands due to the ecological services provided by them. Some of the importance of wetlands are as follows:  

1. Wetlands help in eliminating pollutants and thus helps in bioremediation.  

2. The wetlands assist in reducing the frequencies of erosion and floods. The wetlands function as a sponge and captivate the majority of the water at the time of heavy rainfall, which gets released gradually. This, in turn, helps in replenishing the groundwater level.  

3. Different kinds of species like insects, plants, reptiles, microbes, and reptiles thrive in wetlands, thus, forming a food web.  

4. Wetlands also donate to the economy of the country by providing timber, fishes, rice, berries, and other things of medicinal values.