Wetlands Facts
Benefits of Wetlands
According to the 2002
Virginia Outdoors Plan, published by the Virginia
Department of Conservation and Recreation, "wetlands,
both tidal and non-tidal, are among the most important natural
resources found in Virginia's landscape." Swamps, bogs and
marshes, as well as the shallow waters of our rivers, creeks,
lakes and ponds are wetlands. So are upland areas that flood
or have saturated soils for some period of the year. Wetlands
have important natural functions that both humans and animals
depend on for survival.
More and more Virginians find themselves living near
wetlands. Are you one of them? Do you know what you
need to know to help conserve our wetlands?
Tidal Wetlands - If you live by the water in
Tidewater Virginia, you probably live near tidal wetlands.
Generally speaking, these are the marshes, sand beaches,
mudflats and the shallow waters of our rivers and creeks.
Humans directly benefit from tidal wetlands because
they:
- Filters upland runoff
- Provide beautiful vistas
for our pleasure
- Prevent erosion of
our waterfront property
- Provide flood control
to protect our homes and businesses
- Provide hatchery and
nursery areas for the fish that humans eat
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The rest of nature benefits from tidal wetlands, too,
because they provide habitat (food, water and cover)
for plants, invertebrates, fish, reptiles, birds and
mammals and stopover points for migrating birds.
Non-tidal Wetlands - You don't have to live
by a body of water to be near wetlands. Non-tidal wetlands
may be far from rivers or creeks. They may look like
forests or fields. They may be wet all year or just
some of the year. If your neighborhood floods easily
in rainstorms or with unusually high tides, you probably
live in a wetland that has been filled to allow the
construction of your neighborhood. Non-tidal wetlands
have most of the values and benefits of tidal wetlands
and a few more besides. For example, they also provide:
- Erosion control
- Nutrient retention
- Groundwater recharge
- Hunting and other recreational
activities
- Habitat for hundreds
of species of animals and birds
- The first line of defense
against pollution from surface water runoff
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Shallow Water Habitat -While most of us would
not think of the shallow waters of creeks and rivers
as wetlands, they are part of the wetlands ecology. The Alliance
for the Chesapeake Bay lists many benefits shallow
water areas have for both humans and animals. Shallow
water areas provide habitat for microscopic plants and
animals, Bay grasses, worms, snails, clams, crabs, fish,
frogs, turtles, muskrats, shorebirds and waterfowl. Grass
shrimp, sand shrimp, killifish and juvenile blue crab,
spot, croaker and striped bass use shallow water areas
as nursery areas and for protection from predators. Migratory
waterbirds and waterfowl, wading birds like herons and
egrets, shorebirds like terns and gulls, and raptors
like osprey and bald eagles feed in the shallows.
For more detailed information about wetlands habitats
and their flora and fauna, see the Chesapeake
Bay Program website.
Wetlands Losses
Regrettably, human activity has resulted in the loss
of nearly half of the wetlands that were here in Virginia
at the arrival of the Europeans in the 16th century.
Since the 1970's, laws
and regulations have slowed but have not stopped
wetlands destruction.
The U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service has estimated that Virginia
lost more than 63,000 acres of coastal and inland wetlands
just between 1956 and 1977. Urban development and dredging
projects accounted for most of the tidal wetlands losses
during that time. In recent years the rate of loss of
vegetated tidal wetlands has slowed to about 25 acres
per year according to the Virginia
Institute of Marine Science (VIMS), but mudflats
and non-tidal wetlands continue to be lost to development.
Agriculture was the main source of non-tidal wetlands
losses from 1956 to 1977, but recent years have seen
increasing pressures from the building of roads, housing
developments, shopping centers and golf courses on non-tidal
wetlands. Shallow water areas are increasingly being
altered by dredging for commercial and recreational boat
channels and marina and waterfront residential development.Virginia,
as a signer of the Chesapeake
Bay Agreement of 2000, has agreed to:
1. achieve
no net loss of existing wetlands acreage and
function
2. achieve a net wetlands gain by 2010 by restoring 25,000 acres of
tidal and non-tidal wetlands
3. provide information and assistance to local government and community
groups for the development and implementation of wetlands
preservation plans. |
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Unfortunately, experts acknowledge that if we keep
destroying and restoring wetlands at the present rate,
we have no chance of achieving these goals. Wetlands
Watch believes that insufficient effort to avoid and
minimize wetlands impacts in development activities,
over-reliance on compensatory mitigation, and inadequate
consideration of cumulative losses when granting permits
for wetlands disturbing activities are the key factors
that lead to real net loss of wetlands acreage and
function. Wetlands Watch seeks to make the state and
federal policy of achieving "no net loss" wetlands
successful.
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