As the Raleigh-Durham area of North Carolina continues to grow, development threatens to cover valuable land in the Upper Located in Davidson County, Tennessee, Nashville is a uniquely beautiful place, defined by the wide and winding Cumberland River In , the City of Atlanta was losing acres of open space each week to development.
Historically, the Nominated for a listing on the National Register of Historic Places, the city of Lithonia, just outside Atlanta, includes The Maryland State Highway Administration turned to us to identify and evaluate conservation and restoration opportunities in the vicinity The white-sand beaches and charming Lake Michigan communities in southwest Michigan known as Harbor Country are popular weekend getaway Good green infrastructure planning can have a major impact on the quality of life for residents of a region.
By , the Houston-Galveston area is expected to gain 3. Jefferson County, West Virginia, confronts haphazard growth that disrupts normal ecosystem functions and community vitality. The continued protection of the More than 1. Natural sediment and minerals will settle in the standing water, but most of the filtration properties come from plants and microorganisms that absorb chemical runoff from agriculture and industry. There are also floating plants like Water Hyacinth pictured right and Duckweed, which can absorb heavy metals such as iron and copper.
This protects other ecosystems downstream by preventing algal blooms caused by agricultural fertilisers, or preventing poisonous metals from building up in the water and the food chain, affecting fish, marine mammals and humans. As wetlands hold large amounts of water over wide areas, they absorb rainwater runoff and spring snowmelts, slowing the water flow and preventing sudden floods downstream.
When wetlands are drained and used for development, this protection is lost so water travels faster through the narrower channels, so floods become more frequent. Artificial dams, used to move water from large, shallow wetlands into smaller, deeper locations, destroy the biodiversity value and can cause disastrous floods when they fail.
This was seen when several hundred individuals died during a levee breach in New Orleans caused by Hurricane Katrina. Tidal and inter-tidal wetlands such as mangroves provide a coastal defence against storms and tsunami-like storm surges coming from the sea. Coral reefs and mangroves will reduce the speed and height of waves as they approach, reducing the impact and damage on coastal towns.
In anticipation of increasing human population living and working near the coast, organisations such as the National Trust have been saving coastal habitats from development and pollution, which will not just benefit British wildlife, but provide shoreline protection for towns and cities inland as well. Despite their many benefits, which can be quantified financially as well as ecologically, wetlands are in serious trouble. By donating to habitat conservation charities such as World Land Trust WLT , which supports wetland conservation in Bolivia , Brazil , Paraguay and Guatemala , you can help make sure wetlands continue their legacy of environmental protection.
Donate ». Costanza, R. The value of coastal wetlands for hurricane protection. All these habitats provide valuable ecological goods and services for people, such as improved water quality, protection from floods and storm surges, and groundwater recharge. In this way, DU helps support local and regional economies and the general well-being of people everywhere we work. Ducks Unlimited employs various conservation strategies to help reverse the impacts of wetland loss across the continent.
This work includes restoring drained and degraded wetlands as close to their natural state as possible. Wetland enhancement activities focus on improving specific functions of important waterfowl habitats. Wetland restoration and enhancement techniques often include the installation of water-control structures, levees, pumps, and other infrastructure to allow managers to regulate water levels at optimal depths for waterfowl and other wildlife.
DU also protects intact wetlands and associated uplands by securing donated and purchased conservation easements from landowners, which preserves the conservation values of high-priority habitats in perpetuity. In addition, DU supports public policies that restore and enhance wetlands on public lands and provide incentives for farmers and ranchers to conserve crucial waterfowl habitats on agricultural lands. For outdoorsmen and women, wetlands are places where we can hunt, fish, paddle a canoe, watch and photograph wildlife, and simply enjoy the beauty of nature.
But these habitats also provide us with reliable supplies of clean water for drinking and irrigating crops and help protect us from natural disasters. As the leader in wetlands conservation, Ducks Unlimited plays a key role in ensuring that wetland systems remain intact and functional not only to sustain healthy waterfowl populations and our waterfowling traditions but also to provide a variety of other societal benefits.
Through our science, public policy, and on-the-ground conservation programs, DU will continue to work tirelessly to conserve wetlands so that we can leave future generations with the many gifts that these vital natural habitats provide. Ellen Herbert is DU's ecosystem services scientist at its national headquarters in Memphis.
In recognition of the value of its wetland conservation work, Ducks Unlimited was recently invited to be the newest member of the Natural Infrastructure Initiative Steering Committee. The Natural Infrastructure Initiative is a coalition of corporations and nonprofit organizations that advances awareness of and investment in natural infrastructure, such as wetlands, and outlines the economic and environmental benefits found in natural approaches to flood risk reduction, water quality improvement, and many other pressing infrastructure issues.
Through this coalition, DU will help highlight the value of conserving wetlands and associated habitats for the benefit of people and wildlife. Ducks Unlimited project combatting Mississippi River flooding, protecting citizens and wetlands alike. Wetland Conservation. Dale James, Ph. Herbert, Ph. Related conservation du magazine habitat habitat restoration waterfowl research wetland benefits wetlands.
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