Wetlands are a crucial part of the natural environment.
Wetlands provide breeding and feeding habitat for waterbirds, fish, invertebrates and plants. They can also help to:
- protect our shores from waves
- reduce the impacts of floods
- absorb pollutants
- filter and clean water.
What are wetlands?
Wetlands are areas of land where water covers the ground. This can be all year round, or only at certain times of the year. Wetlands include:
- rivers and creeks
- swamps and marshes
- billabongs, lakes and lagoons
- saltmarshes and mudflats
- mangroves and coral reefs
- bogs, fens and peatlands
- groundwater aquifers.
Wetlands may be natural or human made. The water in a wetland can be still or flowing, and can be fresh, brackish or saline. Some wetlands are even found underground.
Internationally and nationally significant wetlands
The Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder is also Australia's administrative authority for the Ramsar Convention.
There are 16 Ramsar-listed wetlands in the Murray–Darling Basin. In addition to this, the Basin has over 900 nationally important wetlands. To learn more, visit Directory of Important Wetlands in Australia.
Threats to wetlands
Wetlands are in danger from both human activity and natural processes. Threats include:
- Habitat loss: Wetlands are often drained or converted for farming, cities and towns.
- Pollution: Industrial runoff, chemicals used in farming, and wastewater reduce water quality.
- Invasive species: Non-native plants and animals can take over and disturb the natural balance of wetlands.
Climate change can make these threats worse. It causes rising sea levels, changing rainfall patterns and higher temperatures.
It's important to learn about these threats so we can better protect wetlands from them.
Conservation and restoration efforts
We use Commonwealth water for the environment to improve the health of wetlands across the Basin.
Australia's commitment to the Ramsar Convention ensures that we protect existing wetlands and help restore degraded ones. We can do this by:
- improving water flow
- providing timely flows to help native plants and animals reproduce
- protecting and restoring the health of trees and other habitat for native animals.
This work involves working closely with all state governments, local communities and scientists.
We also work with landholders to improve the health of on-farm wetlands. For more information, visit Water for the environment and on-farm wetlands.