The importance and value of wetlands

Wetlands are important and valued environments for the following reasons:

• They support a diversity of flora and fauna and provide different ecological functions.
• They provide important refuges for wildlife during drought.
• They provide a natural hydrological balance in the landscape and help to provide protection against floods.
• They provide vital habitat for some species of threatened fauna such as the western swamp tortoise (Pseudemydura umbrina). The western swamp tortoise occurs only in the south west of Western Australia, and is currently known as natural populations from only two wetlands: Twin Swamps and Ellen Brook Nature Reserves.
• They are highly productive ecosystems, and are able to capture energy and provide food and habitat for fauna.
• They provide temporary refuge for migratory waterbirds that breed in the northern hemisphere in countries such as China and Siberia. Thousands of migratory waders arrive in the south west of Western Australia and inhabit coastal and inland waters from September to April each year.
• They provide nursery areas for fish, and breeding grounds for wildlife, particularly waterbirds.
• They have intrinsic natural beauty and provide opportunities for recreational activities such as boating, swimming, bushwalking and bird watching.
• They have a role in providing water quality protection in the catchment by filtering pollutants such as sediments, nutrients, organic and inorganic matter and pathogens.
• They provide opportunities for scientific research and monitoring.
• Many wetlands are of cultural significance, for example gnammas (water holes).
• They provide educational sites for the community and academic institutions.