How wetlands reduce impact of disasters on humans

Despite its humid, aquatic and unattractive nature, wetlands which are places where land is covered by water, either salt, fresh or somewhere in between, have important role to play in the ecosystem. Oftentimes, humans as members of the ecosystem look down on these ‘less’ important ones just as a creature like vulture, which is a very important scavenger, is little regarded by human beings.

It is amazing how critical wetlands are in mitigating natural disasters even in their silent mode of operation and history is replete with important natural roles wetlands have played. It is common knowledge that they put paid over $625 million damages from Hurricane Sandy in 2012.

It was no wonder, therefore, that as the world celebrated the 2017 World Wetlands Day, a few days ago, the focus was on the role played by wetlands in reducing the impact of natural disasters.

In its recent report, EnviroNews, an online environment publication, informs that along the coastline, wetlands act as natural protective buffer, adding that inland, wetlands act as a natural sponge, absorbing and storing excess rainfall and reducing flooding.

During the dry season, they release the stored water, delaying the onset of droughts and reducing water shortages. When well managed, wetlands can make communities resilient enough to prepare for, cope with and bounce back from disasters even stronger than before.

To minimise impact ahead of time, flood- and storm-prone areas can be designated as protected wetlands to strengthen nature’s own buffer. The Biosphere Reserve of the Saloum Delta in Senegal, for example, is an area of estuaries, lakes and marshes.

“Wetlands control flooding and make sure that humans, animals and plants have access to fresh water over the entire year”, the publication says, adding, “the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), it was gathered, is working with local communities in Senegal to restore degraded wetlands and to encourage sustainable agriculture, tourism and fishing practices”.

When an extreme event hits, healthy wetlands can absorb some of the shock, cushioning the damage in local communities. In Hikkaduwa, Sri Lanka where offshore coral reefs are protected through a marine park, the damage from the 2004 tsunami extended just 50 metres inland. In nearby Peraliya, where coral mining had degraded the reefs, the damage extended 1.5 kilometres inland.

Wetlands can also speed up the recovery and help to “build back better” after a disaster, acting as natural water filters and nutrient restorers. After a 1999 cyclone that hit Odisha in eastern India, rice paddies that were protected by mangroves recovered their food production much more quickly than croplands without the buffer.

Maintaining healthy wetlands and restoring degraded ones means that a community can deal with a disaster even better next time.