Nigeria’s Hadejia wetlands are a vital stopover for migrating birds: new survey records species found in the park: The Hadejia Wetlands National Park in north-western Nigeria is a vital ecological treasure, designated as both a globally important wetland (Ramsar site) and an Important Bird Area, a site recognised internationally for conserving birds. Spanning 297km², the …
Reducing air pollution could increase methane emissions from wetlands – here’s what needs to be done: Sampling in a Pantanal lake, Brazil. Vincent Gauci, CC BY-NC-ND What if well-meaning policies that reduce one atmospheric pollutant could also increase natural emissions of powerful greenhouse gases? Our findings, just published in the journal Science Advances, advance an …
Earth has lost one-fifth of its wetlands since 1700 – but most could still be saved: A capybara in the Iberá Wetlands (Esteros del Iberá) of northeast Argentina. Kylie Nicholson/Shutterstock Like so many of the planet’s natural habitats, wetlands have been systematically destroyed over the past 300 years. Bogs, fens, marshes and swamps have disappeared …
A root cause of flooding in Accra: developers clogging up the city’s wetlands: Wetlands in Accra have become popular targets for developers. Wikimedia Commons Ghana has six designated Ramsar sites. These are wetlands designated under the criteria of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, an international treaty that seeks to protect them. In Ghana, these sites …
Paradox lost: wetlands can form in deserts, but we need to find and protect them: An oasis in the Sahara Desert, Libya. Patrick Poendl/Shutterstock Once dismissed as dank and bug-infested backwaters – good only for draining and destroying to make farmland – the world’s wetlands may finally be having their moment in the sun. In …
South Africa in the news: South African cheetahs find new home in Zambia wetlands: A wetlands reserve in Zambia will become home to its first cheetahs in almost a century after the animals were successfully moved from South Africa. The reintroduction of cheetahs — a group of three …: “South Africa” – BingNews Minister allocates …
Flooding can help resurrect wetlands and slow climate change – here’s how: Neil Entwistle, Author provided Flooding is known only for the ruin it brings to homes and livelihoods, but targeted flooding, to create or restore floodplain wetlands, is part of the solution to climate change. That’s because the damp and low-oxygen conditions of wetlands …
Wetlands do the job of expensive technology, if we let them: Shutterstock The world’s freshwater supplies are at risk. This is a threat to all life on the planet. It’s therefore no surprise that water purification has turned into a multibillion dollar global business. The World Bank estimates that at least $ 150 billion a …
How farmers in Africa are finding ways to sustainably use wetlands: Women plant rice in the flood plain of Betsimitatatra, Madagascar. Hajakely/Shutterstock Swamps, marshes, floodplains and mangrove forests, all known as wetlands, are a precious resource. In their natural state they provide a range of eco-system services. They regulate water flows, store eroded materials and …