{"id":3284,"date":"2015-11-17T12:56:32","date_gmt":"2015-11-17T12:56:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/westafrica.wetlands.org\/en\/why-wetlands-matter\/"},"modified":"2025-05-15T12:51:47","modified_gmt":"2025-05-15T12:51:47","slug":"why-wetlands-matter","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/westafrica.wetlands.org\/en\/wetlands\/why-wetlands-matter\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Wetlands Matter"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Wetlands cover a small percentage of the earth&#8217;s surface, yet they are essential\u00a0systems &#8211; they are the arteries and veins of the landscape. They are rich in nature and vital to human life. They act as water sources and purifiers. They protect our shores. They are the planet&#8217;s greatest natural carbon stores. They are crucial to agriculture and fisheries. A world without wetlands is\u00a0a world without water.<\/p>\n<h3>Wetlands are a source of:<\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-463 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/westafrica.wetlands.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2016\/06\/prosperous.png\" alt=\"prosperous\" \/> <strong>Prosperity<\/strong><br \/>\nWetlands are often the engines of local economies. By using wetlands wisely and diversifying livelihood options for local communities, it is possible to reverse the trend of wetland loss, poverty and inequity.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-469 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/westafrica.wetlands.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2016\/06\/suffic.png\" alt=\"suffic\" width=\"122\" height=\"121\" \/>Sufficient clean water<\/strong><br \/>\nThe demand for water is growing at more than twice the rate of population increase. Competition between water for human consumption, agriculture and energy is intensifying. By improving water sharing and restoring wetlands, water supplies can be safeguarded.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-466 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/network.wetlands.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/plentiful-e1452670538291.png\" alt=\"plentiful\" \/>Plentiful food<\/strong><br \/>\nBy adjusting water and agricultural practices in wetlands and incorporating wetlands in agricultural landscapes, long term food security can be assured and biodiversity enhanced.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-468 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/westafrica.wetlands.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2016\/06\/reduced.png\" alt=\"reduced\" width=\"117\" height=\"117\" \/><strong>Protection from disasters<\/strong><br \/>\nThe impacts of natural and man-made disasters are increasing due to climate change, poorly planned development and environmental degradation. 90% of disasters are water-related but reversing loss and damage to wetlands can be part of the solution.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-464 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/westafrica.wetlands.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2016\/06\/co2.png\" alt=\"co2\" \/><strong>Carbon storage<\/strong><br \/>\nWetlands are amongst the earth\u2019s top carbon stores. By conserving and restoring high carbon wetlands we can reduce carbon emissions and increase\u00a0our capacity to adapt to climate change, while improving\u00a0biodiversity, water security and human well-being.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-465 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/westafrica.wetlands.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2016\/06\/nature.png\" alt=\"nature\" \/><strong>Diverse and beautiful nature<\/strong><br \/>\nWetlands support abundant and unique nature, but freshwater biodiversity has declined drastically since the 1970s. Concerted action by individuals, civil society groups, governments and the private sector is urgently needed to reverse this trend.<\/p>\n<h3><\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Wetlands cover a small percentage of the earth&#8217;s surface, yet they are essential\u00a0systems &#8211; they are the arteries and veins of the landscape. They are rich in nature and vital to human life. They act as water sources and purifiers. They protect our shores. They are the planet&#8217;s greatest natural carbon stores. They are crucial [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":4452,"parent":3283,"menu_order":2,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"wl_issue":[],"wl_topic":[],"wl_type":[],"class_list":["post-3284","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Why Wetlands Matter - Wetlands Africa EN<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why Wetlands Matter - Wetlands Africa EN\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Wetlands cover a small percentage of the earth&#8217;s surface, yet they are essential\u00a0systems &#8211; they are the arteries and veins of the landscape. 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