February 2 is not only Candlemas day but also World Wetlands Day. It is an opportunity for our biodiversity expertise firm to raise awareness about these ecosystems of global importance.
Wetlands
Around the World
The concept of a wetland refers to a wide range of ecosystems where dynamics are strongly influenced by the temporary or permanent presence of water.
These areas are neither completely terrestrial nor completely aquatic. They can take on many forms, generally categorized into five main types of wetlands:
- Marine: coastal wetlands including coastal lagoons, rocky shores, and coral reefs.
- Estuarine: including deltas, tidal marshes, and mangrove swamps.
- Lacustrine: wetlands associated with lakes.
- Riparian: wetlands bordering rivers and streams.
- Palustrine: marshy, swampy, and peat bog areas.
Not to mention the artificial wetlands: fishponds, rice fields, salt marshes…
The RAMSAR Convention, an intergovernmental treaty dedicated to the conservation of wetlands, classifies them into three categories: marine and coastal wetlands, inland wetlands, and artificial wetlands.
Wetlands in Belgium
In Belgium, as elsewhere, wetlands are important ecosystems. Some of the wetlands found on our territory include:
- Running waters, which covers a large area in our country.
- Standing waters, such as ponds and marshes.
- Flood zones (wet meadows, floodplain forests, valley bottoms, riparian forests…).
- Hygromorphic zones (peat bogs, marshes, reed beds…).
These natural or semi-natural environments host much of the local fauna and flora and play a vital ecological role, in addition to providing numerous ecosystem services.
The Importance of Wetlands
Biodiversity Reservoirs
Found across the globe, these wetland ecosystems host a vast array of animal and plant species due to the presence of water. The fauna is especially concentrated in wetlands, including birds, amphibians, fish, insects, and other invertebrates. In terms of flora, there is a specific vegetation with many hygrophilic species (“which appreciate water”), such as sphagnum mosses, alders, reeds, bulrushes, etc.
For each of these species, wetlands represent a place for breeding, feeding, and resting. Therefore, preserving and restoring them is essential for the survival of this fauna and flora. Furthermore, we must rethink our landscapes based on the principles of ecological connectivity and wetland rehabilitation to encourage species movement and genetic mixing.
Numerous Ecosystem Services
Wetlands and Water Management
Wetlands play a key role in hydrological cycles: they store water and release it slowly, thus helping regulate river flows and groundwater levels (which helps prevent floods).
They also contribute to water purification through various microorganisms that act on pollutant particles. Finally, they are one of the few sources of fresh water on Earth.
Help in Fighting Climate Change
Wetlands have many functions that assist in combating climate change:
- For soils and their biodiversity, they compensate for the droughts that we are experiencing more and more frequently.
- In urban areas, they refresh city dwellers.
- They act as a carbon sink, storing carbon in plants and soil, mitigating climate change. In fact, wetlands alone store nearly 30% of all terrestrial carbon.
A Socio-Cultural and Economic Role
Wetlands provide many food resources: fish, crustaceans, rice, and sugarcane cultivated in these ecosystems, as well as salt from salt marshes.
They are also important tourist sites, with recognized landscape value and many possible activities (sailing, fishing…). Overall, over one billion people live from fishing, aquaculture, or tourism thanks to wetlands.
The Necessity of Wetland Preservation
Preserve and Restore: An Urgent Task
For all the reasons mentioned above, it is crucial to protect and restore these unique ecosystems. The urgency is clear when we know that:
- Wetlands around the world are disappearing three times faster than forests.
- One-third of freshwater species and 25% of all wetland species are threatened with extinction due to habitat loss.
- 81% of terrestrial wetland species and 36% of coastal and marine species have declined over the past 50 years.
These alarming statistics are largely due to human activities. Wetlands are being destroyed or degraded for agriculture or urban development. They are also heavily impacted by water pollution, overfishing, and the introduction of invasive alien species.
The RAMSAR Convention
Mission and Objectives of the Convention
Signed in 1971 in Ramsar, Iran, the Convention on Wetlands is the only environmental treaty dedicated to a specific ecosystem. Its global nature makes it even more exceptional.
Its mission is to promote the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands worldwide.
By signing the Convention, contracting parties commit to implementing various measures at the national level and to cooperate with other nations to contribute to global sustainable development. The Convention is based on three major strategic pillars, each setting specific objectives to achieve. These strategic goals are:
- Addressing the drivers of wetland loss and degradation.
- Conserve and effectively manage the Ramsar Sites network.
- Use wetlands rationally.
Ramsar Sites in Belgium
In Belgium, the RAMSAR Convention enter into force on July 4, 1986. The following RAMSAR sites can be found in Wallonia:
- The Haute-Sûr Nature Park and the Anlier Forest in Luxembourg Province.
- The Hautes-Fagnes-Eifel Nature Park in Liège Province.
- The Harchies-Hensies-Pommeroeuls Marshes in Hainaut Province.
- The Grotte des Émotions in Liège Province.
Other Belgian Legislation for Wetland Preservation
In Belgium, there are several laws and protection statutes designed to promote the conservation of wetlands on our territory.
Protection Statuses of Natural Sites
In addition to RAMSAR zones, many other official protection statuses play a role in preserving wetlands:
- Wetlands of “biologically interest” (ZHIB): a regional executive order in effect since 1994 in Wallonia that prohibits the collecting, damaging, or destruction of plant species, as well as hunting, capturing, or disturbing animal species in these areas.
- State-owned Nature Reserves (RND), which designate public lands managed by the Public Service of Wallonia.
- Approved Nature Reserves (RNA), managed by a private or public entity other than the Walloon Region.
- Recently, Belgium has established its first two national parks: the Entre-Sambre-et-Meuse and Semois Valley National Parks.
Biodiversity-Related Legislation
Other biodiversity-related legislations also contribute to the conservation of Belgian wetlands. Many animal and plant species that live in these ecosystems are protected.
For example, birds such as the Common kingfisher and the Great Egret, amphibians like the Spotted salamander and the Natterjack toad, as well as many plants such as Round-leaved sundew and Broad-leaved marsh orchid, are protected. Protecting these species requires maintaining their habitats, including wetlands.
E-BIOM, Your Biodiversity Partner
As a consulting compagnie, E-BIOM works closely with the competent authorities to study the different ecosystems in our regions and implement the necessary actions for their preservation. Specializing in environmental DNA analysis, our experts carry out various missions, such as tracking invasive alien species, studying amphibian distribution, detecting species in defined environments, etc.
Photo Credits: Armando Espinosa – Instagram account: armandoespinosap3
