This article has been published by the New Straits Times on 3 February 2025.
WETLANDS are the lungs and kidneys of the Earth. This is a simple analogy to explain their imperative roles in ensuring the proper functioning of our planet’s natural ecosystem.
Loosely defined as all water bodies occurring on land, wetlands are more than just a natural water filter or storage resource. Lives thrive in these habitats and ecosystems, and many natural processes are maintained by sustaining a healthy and solid wetland ecosystem.
In a tropical country like Malaysia, we are blessed with various types of wetland ecosystems, some with stark contrast between each other in their physical structure as well as their ecological and hydrological characteristics.
Wetlands occur in many forms, from ponds and lakes high up in the mountains and valleys to water bodies crossing the land through rivers, channels, marshes and swamps, while some merge land with the ocean in the form of mangroves, seagrasses and coral reefs in the downstream of these rich and luxurious tropical landscapes.
These ecosystems predominantly regulate water. In other words, they control flooding by absorbing and retaining a high amount of water and, simultaneously, control, balance and maintain a consistent water cycle.
Sustaining this important cycle equates to maintaining weather patterns and climate. Disruption in any part of this straightforward yet complex process would in turn cause an imbalance and disasters of various scales.
Wetlands also provide an array of other ecosystem services. They support millions of organisms by providing a natural home or habitat to ensure the survival of species and help sustain genetic diversity.
Wetlands supply food, nutrients and resources for humans and animals to consume. Humans, for the longest time, have already established deep connections with wetlands and these are reflected in their cultural value and dependency.
On top of these provisioning and cultural services, and in addition to the water cycle, wetlands are the key regulators for many other natural processes.
Another prominent one is the nutrient cycle, especially carbon. Scientists have discovered the powerful ability of forested wetlands like mangroves and peat swamp forests to absorb and sequester atmospheric carbon into their system.
Not only the ability to undertake carbon dioxide through their super-efficient photosynthesis and keep them in their biomass but the larger portions are kept in their muddy anoxic soils.
Now here lies the biggest challenge for humans.
In the attempt to accommodate the increasing population and by continuing to implement conservative design by changing land use for development, humans have caused these natural habitats and ecosystems to dwindle and falter.
Yet, the impacts do not fall over nature alone, humanities are affected too. Cutting, exploiting and draining these ecosystems would emit the stored carbon and pollute the atmosphere further!
In past decades and centuries, we have seen a tremendous number of wetlands and other natural ecosystems being exploited in the name of development, and we now arrive at a major crossroads of facing a tremendous number of environmental disasters. And they are only becoming worse and worse and impacting more and more humans and communities.
Unsustainable development and uncontrolled exploitation of wetlands affect human lives and contribute to the worsening conditions of planetary health. Floods are becoming more frequent, and the impacts are getting more and more extreme. Coastlines are being eroded at faster rates.
Storms and rains are getting stronger and heavier. Human displacement and death tolls increase year by year due to these natural disasters. All of these can be attributed to the minimal consideration and careless planning of the development and exploitation of wetlands and other resources.
Mind you, these unfortunate events are already happening during our lifetime. Now imagine what the future holds for our children and future generations.
In a recent study by Dr Sigit Sasmito and colleagues, published on Jan 28, 2025, in the journal Nature Communications, they found through their analyses that Southeast Asia contributed to one-third of global land-use change carbon emissions.
This anthropogenic trend is alarming considering the current and continuous demand for economic growth by all 11 nations within Asean.
Although they only cover 5.4 per cent of the total land area of Southeast Asia, the study proposed that by protecting all existing and intact mangroves and peat swamp forests and restoring all damaged and disturbed mangroves and peat swamp forests, the region would significantly contribute to regional and global climate change mitigation and the maintenance of all ecosystem services including sustaining biodiversity and human livelihoods.
Yesterday was World Wetlands Day and with the theme “Protecting Wetlands for Our Common Future”, let us take the time to seriously reflect on the very critical issues we are facing and let’s take bold actions to protect and restore our wetlands and improve ways to design a sustainable planet for future generations.
