World Wetlands Day: 5 things to know about these carbon sinks

What springs to mind when you think of wetlands?

Thanks to famous literature, TV series and films you might conjure up images of a sinister swamp or a gloomy marshland.

But the reality is far from it – wetlands are teeming with life. From dragonflies to beavers, these habitats are full of species that provide vital services to our local environments.

That's why every year on 2 February, we celebrate World Wetlands Day.

The theme for 2024, 'It’s Time for Wetlands Restoration', highlights the urgent need to prioritize the restoration of these ecosystems around the world.

Here are five things you need to know about these crucial habitats.

Despite covering a mere 1% of Earth's surface, wetlands such as peatlands, mangrove forests, salt marshes and seagrass beds store 20% of the organic ecosystem carbon on the planet, according to a 2022 paper published in Science.

Wetlands' high carbon sequestration rate and effective sequestration per unit area far exceed those of marine and forest ecosystems, making them incredibly valuable for helping mitigate the climate crisis.

Learn more about these carbon sinks here.

The ecological services of wetlands have been valued at more than $47 trillion per year. For example, they provide homes or stopovers for many species of migratory birds.

They also improve water quality and reduce the impacts of flooding and drought, helping the local environment to thrive.

Find out more about their ecological benefits here.

Wetlands can support very high levels of biodiversity, allowing all kinds of animals and plants to thrive, including microbes, frogs and waterfowl.

The lives of many species are dependent on these habitats. For example, many dragonfly and damselfly species are declining worldwide as the freshwater wetlands where they breed are drained and filled in.

These habitats may not look productive on the surface, yet they are teeming with life.

Discover more about the species that dwell here.

In a rapidly warming world, one of the best ways we can counter the effects of climate change such as flooding or drought is to protect and restore our wetlands.

They act as sponges that can tackle droughts by storing water and releasing it to maintain river flows long after the rains cease.

Furthermore, wetlands can also reduce the risk of wildfires, as the water-filled soil reduces the intensity of fires and creates natural firebreaks.

Read more on how wetlands can help us adapt to climate change.

These habitats are constantly being destroyed by draining or filling them in, most commonly for farming and development.

Sources of hope do exist, however, with commitments such as the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands striving to protect and better manage wetland biodiversity.

Find out more about what we can do to protect these vital habitats.

The World Economic Forum's Global Risks Report 2024 explores the most severe risks we may face over the next decade.

The top four risks of the next 10 years are all environmental, including extreme weather events, and biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse.

The protection and restoration of habitats such as wetlands are crucial for enabling the world to adapt to and mitigate the effects of climate change.