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Benefits of Wetlands
Wetlands have many benefits. They provide food and habitat for fish and wildlife, flood water storage, shoreline erosion control, water quality improvement, and opportunities for recreation and education.
Wetlands often function like natural sponges, storing surface water runoff during storms and slowly filtering and releasing it into nearby streams and recharging groundwater. This capacity to intercept and filter pollutants from stormwater runoff makes wetlands invaluable in improving local water quality.
Wetlands are among the most biologically productive ecosystems in the world, making them vital to the survival of numerous animals and plants, including many threatened and endangered species. They can be compared to tropical rain forests and coral reefs in the diversity of species they support.
This page was last updated on: 10/20/2010
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