World Wetlands Day 2025 – “Protecting Wetlands for Our Common Future”

February 5, 2025

By Sam Volz, Park Interpreter

World Wetlands Day is celebrated each year on February 2^nd, to raise awareness about wetlands, their importance, and the threats they face. With a 2025 theme of “Protecting Wetlands for Our Common Future”, it is crucial to understand what value wetlands hold for people and wildlife alike, and what is being done to protect them.

Wetlands provide resources for living creatures of all shapes and sizes. For humans, not only are wetlands a source of recreation, commerce, and tourism – they contribute to improved water quality and protection during storms. Coastal wetland vegetation aids in erosion and flood control and creates a barrier against storm damage and destructive waves. Wetlands act as a filter, trapping sediments, absorbing and breaking down pollutants – which improves water quality and access to clean drinking water. Runoff carrying point and nonpoint source pollution that enters a wetland will slow down the flow and help to purify water before reaching larger bodies of fresh water.

Wetlands are an essential habitat for thousands of plant and animal species, they are one of the most biodiverse ecosystems throughout the world. Over half of North American bird species rely on wetlands for feeding, breeding, and nesting – including waterfowl, shorebirds, songbirds, and birds of prey. During migration, wetlands often serve as resting areas for birds during their long journeys to and from their destinations.

Birds, reptiles, fish, and amphibians utilize swamps and shallow marshes as nurseries to lay eggs and raise their young. Wetlands are an abundant source of aquatic plants and insects, which are a primary source of food for many wildlife species. Wetlands are one of the most ecologically productive ecosystems in the world – comparable to that of coral reefs and the rainforests.

Over 1/3 of the United States threatened and endangered species inhabit wetland ecosystems. Some notable threatened and endangered species that rely on Michigan’s wetlands include the Common Gallinule, Black Tern, Spotted Turtle, and the Hine’s Emerald Dragonfly.

Nearly 53% of wetlands throughout the United States have been lost due to a myriad of causes including drainage, development, agriculture, and climate change. For decades, humans did not understand or appreciate the connection between wetland health and the benefits they provided.

These unique and diverse ecosystems continue to face threats and degradation throughout the world but there are steps being taken to mitigate those losses by protecting and restoring wetlands. It is essential that we continue to conserve and preserve wetlands, to ensure the futures of all those that rely on them. So, this World Wetlands Day, consider how you can contribute to their protection by visiting https://www.worldwetlandsday.org/.

To learn more about Michigan’s wetlands and what you can do to help out, be sure to check out EGLE Wetlands and MI Wetlands for more information.