Wetland

Values and
Functions

S EDIMENT & Photo:WWF/Chris Martin Bahr

N UTRIENT R ETENTION AND E XPORT

t " Sediment & Nutr
men DOWN THE FORCE OFieWATER
nt Ret, encouraging the deposition of sediments
WETLANDS TEND TO
le n ishSLOW entio
r
carried in etheRe p
water. This is beneficial further downstream nwhere
wat and deposition of sediments may
blockndwaterways. Nutrients are often associated with sediments and Excan be deposited at the same
ro u p o
" Ghuman wastes and industrial discharges, may accumulate in the sub-soil,rtbe
time. These nutrients, mainly nitrogen and phosphorous from agricultural sources but also from
o l " transformed by chem-
t r Wa
Con ical and biological processes or be taken up by wetland vegetation which can then ter be harvested and
d Pu
effectively removed from the system. rif ica
o
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This capacity for nutrient retention n
"S
hor
makes many wetland ecosystems elin
among the most productive recorded, In Brief e St
abil
rivalling intensive agricultural systems. isati
Annual primary production of Papyrus ✔ Wetlands slow the passage of water and encourage the o
in some African wetlands is estimated at deposition of nutrients and sediments carried in water.
✔ Nutrient retention in wetlands makes them among the
100 tonnes per hectare, Typha (bull-
most productive recorded, rivalling even intensive
rush) at 30-70 tonnes per hectare. agricultural systems.
These figures are similar to or even ✔ Coastal deltas are dependent on riverine sediments and
exceed the commercial production of nutrients for their survival; engineered structures that
crops such as maize (63 tonnes per interfere with the natural movement of sediments and
hectare) and sugar cane (60 tonnes per nutrients can degrade deltas.
hectare) and the latter require inputs
" The Rhine river has lost 90% of its natural floodplains
such as fertilizers and pesticides as well and now flows twice as fast as before.
as irrigation. Even in temperate zones, " The Hadejia-Jama’are floodplain in northern Nigeria has

m e nt " ediment & Nutrienlong

where the growing season is Srelatively
t
supported tens of thousands of people through
short, wetlands can
e n ish rival agricultural R etenagriculture, fuelwood and fodder production,
fishing,
e p l tiand
on atourism. Using the water in this way has
production:
at er Rcompare the 14 tonnes per livestock
atndUS$ 45 per 1,000 cubic metres in contrast
u n
hectaredwannual production of a freshwa- been valued
E
thexpvalue
G ro reed marsh in Denmark with the 10
ter
to US$ 0.04 for ort of diverted water for a
ol " tonnes per hectare of grass in European
proposed irrigation "
scheme.
nt r Wa
" The degradation of the Mississippi delta threatens the
Co pastures. Louisiana fishery, made up ter
mainly of wetland-
d dependent species and valued atuUS$
P
rifi 264 million in
o

cat
Flo

1989.
Seasonal flooding is a natural phenom- ion in
" Efforts to restore the Waza-Logone floodplain
enon in most of the world’s rivers. "S
Inland floodplains and coastal deltas are
Cameroon over an 8-year period cost over US$ h 5 million.
ore
line
the natural “overflow” areas that slow Stab
i lisat
io
 S EDIMENT & N UTRIENT R ETENTION AND E XPORT ...

the velocity of the floodwaters, allowing the nutrients and sediments to settle. These rich flood-
plains and deltas have sustained populations for thousands of years but continue to do so only in
a limited number of cases: for the most part, inland floodplains have been “reclaimed” for other
uses (such as agriculture, housing, industry) and engineered flood control structures and dams
have channelled the water, destroying the natural movement of sediments and nutrients. The

ct s
Rhine river in Europe is a typical example: engineered solutions to flood and transport problems

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over the past 150 years have caused the loss of 90% of the original floodplain in its upper reach-

Pro
es, and the river is now flowing twice as fast as before.

nd
tl a
We
Using appropriate valuation techniques can save floodplains. The rich Hadejia-Jama’are floodplain
lue

"
in northern Nigeria has long supported tens of thousands of people through fishing, agriculture, a
fuelwood and fodder production, livestock and tourism. Plans to divert some of its waterasupply
r lV
for irrigated agriculture led to an assessment of the relative benefits of the two uses ofulthe tu flood-
plain. The intact floodplain was valued at US$ 167 per hectare, in stark contrast to C
" the US$ 29
sm
per hectare in benefits for the diversion option – a clear vote for maintaining the
u ri natural wetland
o
ecosystem. Valued in another way, the water in the floodplain was worth US$
io n/T 45 per 1,000 cubic
metres in contrast to US$ 0.04 for the diverted water. at e
R ecr
"
Failure to correctly value a floodplain can have serious consequences.
r sity The Waza-Logone floodplain
e fishing and pastoralism. The con-
d iv
in Cameroon once supported 10,000 people who practised
struction of a dam and flood embankments for a rice fBi oirrigation scheme in 1979 exacerbated an
r s o
already degraded system and deprived the floodplain
e se rvoi of the seasonal flooding that brought the
essential nutrients to sustain the fishing
io n "Rand grazing. The decision to rehabilitate the floodplain
t
itiga over an 8-year period.
has cost more than US$ 5 million
on & S eM
to rm Protection " Climate Chang
Interference with the natural movement of sediment and nutrients can have serious consequences
in coastal deltas as well. Deltas are formed from sediments brought down by the river to the sea and
deposited as the velocity of the river water slows. In both the Mississippi and Nile deltas, human-
engineered structures (flood control structures and dams) have interrupted the normal flow of

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nutrients and sediments to these deltas that were once rich, productive wetlands of critical impor-

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tance to local communities for fish and agriculture. The loss of sediment flow has brought about
degradation and retreat of the deltas – for example, the Nile delta retreated 2km in a 17-year peri- Pro
nd
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od following the building of the Aswan Dam – as well as serious problems with coastal erosion as
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sea water inundates coastal wetlands. In the Nile, the loss of freshwater flows as well as the over-
ue
"

pumping of groundwater have led to saltwater intrusion into the aquifers underlying the delta land
a
stretching 30km inland, contaminating sources of drinking
ralV
u
water. The degradation of the Mississippi delta threatens the
Cult
survival of the Louisiana fishery, made up mainly of wetland- "
dependent species and valued at US$ 264 million in 1989. ir sm u Wetland
o
io n/T Values and
Of course wetland ecosystems are complex biological and
e at
hydrological systems and the retention of nutrients and sedi-
R ecr Functions
ments is often a seasonal characteristic: at certain times of thety "
rsi
year wetlands function as a “source” rather than a “sink” ofivesed- The Ramsar Bureau
od
iments and nutrients. In temperate wetlands, forf Biexample,
Rue Mauverney 28
o
oirs season when
CH-1196 Gland
nutrient retention is greatest during the growing
v
se r Switzerland

" Re and when wetland

microbial activity is highest in the water Tel.: +41 22 999 0170
io n
itigat #
Fax.: +41 22 999 0169
plants are at their most productive.
on & S eM
rm Protection " Climate Chang
e-mail: ramsar@ramsar.org
to Web site: http://ramsar.org