What are Wetlands?
Wetlands are lands that are either permanently or seasonally inundated with water, supporting species that are adapted to live there. They host a wide range of biodiversity and provide a myriad of ecosystem services, ranging from food, fiber and freshwater supply to flood control, and climate change mitigation. It is also their natural feature to have cultural and spiritual importance.
Wetlands are divided into three (3) categories: coastal and marine, inland or freshwater, and human-made wetlands. These can be freshwater ecosystems such as lakes, rivers, freshwater swamps and marshes and peatlands; or coastal and marine areas like tidal flats, salt marshes, estuaries, lagoons, mangrove swamps, seagrass beds and coral reefs. Human-made wetlands are fishponds, saltpans, wastewater ponds, rice paddies, dams, and reservoirs.
