Wetlands
Wetlands, whether swamp, bog, marsh or fen, are waterlogged areas where aquatic plants thrive. Some, like the Okavango Delta, dry up seasonally. Others, like the fenlands of England, are permanently wet. The shallow water can be fresh, brackish or salty, as wetlands often occur where a terrestrial habitat meets a marine one. They can be an effective natural flood control mechanism, allowing excess river water, for example, to disperse over large areas, and are particularly important for birds.
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Brute force
Volga Delta
Realms of the Russian Bear
The flooding of the River Volga creates a huge wetland delta.
Featured in the following TV programmes
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Archived
Realms of the Russian Bear: Episode 1:GREEN JEWEL OF THE CASPIAN
This 1st prog in a series exploring the natural history of the former Soviet Union,reveals the verdent beauty of the wetlands surrounding the Caspian sea
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Archived
Wild Africa: MOUNTAINS
The rivers and lakes of Africa are it's life blood,bringing water to this most parched of all continents.And wherever there is water,there is life.
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Archived
Wild China: Tides of Change
Nature, culture and modern man jostle along China's east coast in a battle for resources.
Common toad 
Great crested newt 
Whooper swan 
African fish eagle 
Southern carmine bee-eater 
Greater flamingo 
Great diving beetle 
Harlequin ladybird 
Banded demoiselle 
Polecat 
Grass snake About Wetlands
A wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with moisture either permanently or seasonally. Such areas may also be covered partially or completely by shallow pools of water. Wetlands include swamps, marshes, and bogs, among others. The water found in wetlands can be saltwater, freshwater, or brackish. The world's largest wetland is the Pantanal which straddles Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay in South America.
Wetlands are considered the most biologically diverse of all ecosystems. Plant life found in wetlands includes mangrove, water lilies, cattails, sedges, tamarack, black spruce, cypress, gum, and many others. Animal life includes many different amphibians, reptiles, birds, and furbearers.
In many locations, such as the United Kingdom, Iraq, South Africa and the United States, wetlands are the subject of conservation efforts and Biodiversity Action Plans.
The study of wetlands has recently been termed paludology in some publications.
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Other Freshwater Habitats
Ecozones where this habitat is found
Useful adaptations for this habitat
Where you find Wetlands
Elsewhere on the web
- Wetland (wikipedia.org)
Site links
BBC links
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