What is the function of wetlands?

(1) Water supply: Wetlands are often used as water sources for domestic use, industrial production and agricultural irrigation. Streams, rivers, ponds and lakes all contain water that can be used directly. Other wetlands, such as peat swamp forests, can be used as water sources for shallow wells. ?

(2) Replenishing groundwater: Most of the water we usually use is mined from underground, and wetlands can replenish groundwater aquifers. The water from the wetland to the aquifer can be a part of the groundwater system, and it can also provide water for the production of workers and peasants in the surrounding areas. If wetlands are destroyed or disappeared, water cannot be supplied to aquifers, and groundwater resources will be reduced. ?

(3) Regulating and controlling flood: Wetland is a huge reservoir, which can store heavy rain and excessive precipitation in flood season, release runoff evenly and weaken the flood that harms downstream, so protecting wetland means protecting natural water storage system. ?

(4) Preserving nutrients: When the running water flows through the wetland, the nutrients contained in it are absorbed by the wetland vegetation or accumulated in the wetland mud layer, thus purifying the downstream water source. The nutrients in the wetland feed fish, shrimp, trees, wild animals and wetland crops. ?

(5) Prevention of salt water intrusion: Fresh water flowing from marshes, rivers, streams and other wetlands limits the supply of seawater, and Yan 'an vegetation also helps to prevent tidal water from flowing into rivers. However, if too much dry and wet land is extracted or drained, and vegetation is destroyed, the fresh water flow will be reduced, and seawater can invade rivers in large quantities, reducing the fresh water supply for people's lives, industrial and agricultural production and ecosystems. ?

(6) Providing available resources: Wetlands can provide us with a variety of products, including wood, medicinal materials, animal leather, meat and eggs, fish and shrimp, grass, fruits, reeds and so on. , and can also provide hydropower, peat firewood and other energy utilization.

Extended data:

According to a broad definition, wetlands only occupy 6% of the earth's surface, but provide a living environment for 20% of the known species on the earth, and have irreplaceable ecological functions, so they enjoy the reputation of "kidney of the earth".

The wetland plants in China are dominated by temperate elements, and their genera, species and proportions rank first. These plants are widely distributed in northeast China and Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

Secondly, it is distributed all over the world, including sphagnum and sphagnum among mosses, submerged plants such as Ceratophyllum, Potamogeton, water lily, emergent plants such as reed and cattail, and swamp plants such as Carex. Pan-tropical distribution, such as mangroves, sea paint, sea mulberry, etc., distributed in the coastal areas of Hainan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Taiwan Province and Fujian.

There are widely distributed species in wetlands. Widely distributed species refers to species that are widely distributed in the world, or almost all over the world. The widely distributed species mainly belong to freshwater aquatic plants, halophytes and associated plants.

Article 2 of the Convention on Wetlands stipulates that each contracting party must include at least 1 wetland in its country in the List of Wetlands of International Importance, and the included wetlands must meet the standards.

Standard 1: If a wetland contains a typical, rare or unique example of a natural or near-natural wetland type in an appropriate biogeographic area, it should be considered to be of international significance.

Criteria 2: Wetlands should be considered of international significance if they support fragile, endangered or critically endangered species or threatened ecological communities.

Criterion 3: If a wetland supports the plant and/or animal populations that are essential for maintaining the biodiversity of a specific biogeographic area, it should be regarded as having international significance.

Criterion 4: Wetlands should be regarded as of international significance if they support animal and plant species at the critical stage of their life cycle or provide shelter for them under adverse conditions.

Standard 5: If a wetland regularly inhabits 20,000 or more waterfowl, it should be considered of international significance.

Standard 6: If a wetland regularly inhabits 65,438+0% individuals of a waterfowl species or subspecies, it should be considered as of international significance.

Criterion 7: If a wetland is inhabited by most local fish subspecies, species or families, and its life cycle stage, interspecies and/or population represent the benefits and/or values of the wetland, thus contributing to global biodiversity, it should be regarded as having international significance.

References:

Baidu encyclopedia-wetland