The Wetlands that Were, Are and Will Be

In the early 1940s, a little-known writer and suffragist called Marjory Stoneman Douglas was commissioned to write about the Florida Everglades. For years, the Everglades had been considered worthless swamps, with large tracts of land being drained and converted to farmland. Then Stoneman Douglas published The Everglades: River of Grass, and the book became a bestseller, helping the world understand the importance of wetland ecosystems. 

The impact of climate change

Our understanding of the environmental importance of wetlands continues to grow, especially in the context of climate change. Many plants in wetlands have the capacity to adjust to a changing environment, with grasses such as the bulrush having the ability to create their own soil and raise themselves above the water. In some ways, climate change benefits these plants; increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere provides fuel for their growth. But rising sea levels, storm surges and extreme weather pose a growing threat, changing the environmental conditions so rapidly that the plants have difficulty keeping up. 

These changes are having catastrophic consequences for wetlands around the world. A prolonged dry season in Australia caused the die-off of 40 million mangroves in 2015, and UNESCO-listed wetlands in Iraq are currently being devastated by drought. Plants, animals and insects which inhabit these areas are facing extinction, including multiple species of birds, frogs and dragonflies. And because many governments and decision-makers don’t understand the value of these ecosystems, they fail to implement appropriate protections, meaning that wetlands are disappearing three times faster than forests.  

This situation is especially troubling because wetlands themselves are one of the best environmental tools we have to fight climate change. The Secretary General of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, Martha Rojas Urrego, called them the most effective carbon sinks on the planet. Their dense, peaty soils sequester huge amounts of carbon, with wetlands holding an estimated 20-30% of the world’s soil carbon, despite occupying only 5-8% of its land surface. They can store ten times more carbon than tropical forests. But this is a double-edged sword: if these ecosystems die, they release all that stored carbon into the atmosphere, further contributing to the climate crisis.

Rehabilitation and potential

Luckily, there are many innovative ways to support vulnerable wetlands. Volunteers in New York have been using concrete blocks made from oyster shells to create an artificial reef, imitating natural conditions to restore wetlands along the Harlem River. The reintroduction of beavers also helps to protect wetlands, with their dams slowing the flow of water and keeping it on the landscape longer, creating habitats for a range of different plants and animals. And some regions are constructing new artificial wetlands from gravel, native aquatic plants and microorganisms to purify river systems and sequester carbon.

Women and wetlands

Women have, and continue to play a crucial role in protecting wetland ecosystems. As of 2022, women represented 34% of the STEM workforce, but 48% of the life sciences workforce. There are many organisations such as Women in Wetlands, the American Association of University Women and Scientista which support the work and careers of women working in wetland sciences. However, just as we need more support for the ecosystems themselves, we need more proactive measures to encourage women to study, work and continue careers in STEM. This includes tackling unconscious bias through training, reverse mentoring, and showcasing role models. It means implementing measures during early schooling so that girls are supported in studying maths and science subjects throughout their education. It also means supporting working women across the board, to ensure they receive equal pay, fair maternity conditions and job security. 

As for Marjory Stoneman Douglas: she dedicated her life to environmental advocacy and was awarded the American Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1993. Her Florida Everglades are now a national park and a UNESCO World Heritage site, recognised as the home of plants and animals which cannot be found anywhere else in the world. 

Piece by Katherine Quinn