Feb 2nd is World Wetlands Day and today in southern Manitoba we will drain 15 acres of wetlands. Wetlands are perhaps the most unappreciated ecosystem on the planet. Governments seem them as “waste” lands, some agricultural producers seem them as obstacles to operational efficiency, some developers see them as a great place for a condo unit, and lots of people believe that they are reservoirs of mosquitoes and disease. Fortunately, there are just as many people, producers and developers who not only understand, but appreciate the ecologic, economic and societal benefits that wetlands provide.
Wetlands filter excess nutrients, pollution and contaminants from our water. They help reduce flood peaks and protect against droughts by storing and releasing water slowly. They are recharge sources for groundwater reserves. They store more carbon than rainforests, an important tool in any fight against climate change. They are home and habitat for thousands of plants and animals and that biodiversity helps keep the environment we live in, and rely on, healthy. All big picture, societal benefit stuff. When today is over, we will have lost 15 more acres of wetlands and all the ecological servies they provide. Services we are already paying millions of dollars for each year to replace/duplicate because we have lost so many of our wetland resources. Millions of dollars that could be spent on other environmental issues we are facing – climate change, species extinction, habitat loss. Or money that could be spent to find new, better, more environmentally-friendly and effective ways to solve our problems and meet our needs.
Last year we had historic floods in this province. This year we already have a moisture deficit that could very well become a drought by summer. We have eutrophication in all our lakes, big and small. We are losing habitat and endangering a staggering number and variety of plants and animals. I think the folks at Ducks Unlimited Canada, may have it right, now is the time to Take a Stand for Wetlands.
Thank you to Ducks Unlimited Canada for the videos - www.ducks.ca
