Habitats - Wetlands

 

 

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Just about everyone has an idea of what a wetland is. It's a marsh, a bog, a salt marsh, a swamp, and so forth. On the other hand there is no consistent definition that everyone can agree on. For example the U.S. Army Corps of Engineeers defines it as:

The term "wetlands" means those areas that are inundated or saturated by surface water or groundwater at a frequency and duration sufficient to support, and that under normal circumstances do support, a prevalence of vegetation typically adapted for life in saturated soil conditions. Wetlands generally include swamps, marshes, bogs, and similar areas.

The Fish and Wildlife Service gives the following:

"Wetlands are lands transitional between terrestrial and aquatic systems where the water table is usually at or near the surface or the land is covered by shallow water. For purposes of this classification, wetlands must have one or more of the following three attributes: (1) at least periodically, the land supports hydrophytes, (2) the substrate is predominantly undrained hydric soil; and (3) the substrate is non-soil and is saturated with water or covered by shallow water at some time during the growing season of each year."

Among scientists, definitions become very complex indeed and there are whole books written about defining wetlands and their classification. Some of these manuals and alternative definitions of wetlands may be found in the general wetlands links.

Specific topics in wetlands conservation and management are contained in the following pages:

  

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