Wetlands: Natures lifeline for biodiversity and climate resilience

What Are Wetlands?

A wetland is an area of land that is saturated or partly covered by water. They include marshes, bogs, fens, and swamps. Canada is home to 25% of the world’s wetlands, including some of the largest wetland areas in the world, such as the Hudson Bay Lowlands and the Peace-Athabasca Delta. These ecosystems support thousands of plant and animal species, with nearly 40 percent of global biodiversity depending on them to survive.

Why Wetlands Matter to Canadians

Wetlands aren’t just important for wildlife, they benefit people too. They filter and purify water, reduce pollution in our lakes and rivers, support local food and livelihoods, and protect communities from floods and extreme weather events.

Unfortunately, wetlands are disappearing at an alarming rate. Canada has already lost up to 70 percent of its wetlands in southern regions due to urban development and agriculture. Globally, wetlands are vanishing three times faster than forests, with approximately 35% of the world’s wetlands lost between 1970 and 2015 and the decline rate continuing to accelerate.

Wetlands as Carbon Sinks

Beyond their role in supporting biodiversity and protecting communities, wetlands also play an important part in regulating the global climate. Wetlands are powerful allies in the fight against climate change because they act as significant carbon sinks. A carbon sink is any natural system that absorbs more carbon than it releases, helping to reduce greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Wetlands store vast amounts of carbon in their soils, making them one of nature’s most effective tools for long-term carbon storage.

Among the many types of wetlands, two stand out for their exceptional carbon-storage: coastal wetlands and peatlands. Coastal wetlands store approximately 50% of all carbon sequestered in the ocean, while peatlands, which cover large areas of northern Canada and only 3% of the Earth’s land surface, store twice as much carbon as the world’s forests.

However, despite their incredible carbon-storing capacity, peatlands, when drained, are responsible for approximately 4% of anthropogenic (human-caused) greenhouse gas emissions. Peatlands are often drained for urban or agricultural expansion, and this significant impact highlights the urgent need to restore peatlands that have been degraded through a process called “rewetting.”

Wetlands and Climate Resilience

Wetlands provide a natural defence against many environmental hazards and play a key role in protecting us from the growing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events. In Canada, flooding is the most common natural disaster, and wetlands serve as a crucial frontline defence against the costly impacts. By absorbing excess rainwater and reducing storm surge, wetlands act as natural buffers, forming barriers along coasts that help to intercept high tides.

Beyond flood mitigation, wetlands help buffer communities from climate extremes throughout the year. They store excess water during storms and release it slowly during dry periods, reducing the impact of drought. At the same time, wetlands moderate local temperatures by converting solar energy into plant growth and evaporation rather than heat, helping reduce the effects of extreme heat events.

Wetlands also strengthen climate resilience in other important ways. They stabilize soil, slow water flow, and filter pollutants, with wetland vegetation reducing erosion along shorelines and riverbanks. As water moves gradually through these ecosystems, sediments and contaminants are captured before reaching surface or groundwater, improving water quality and protecting downstream environments.

It is for this reason that Zurich Canada has partnered with Ducks Unlimited Canada through Nature Force to restore wetlands in urban areas at risk of flooding. Using modelling tools, Nature Force helps protect homes and businesses while also restoring habitats for wildlife living in these areas.

“Water is at the heart of adaptation to climate change,” says Mac Carmichael from Zurich Resilience Solutions Canada. “Serving as the crucial link between the climate system, human society, and the environment, wetlands are part of risk management measures for flooding or water supply. Not every problem needs a ‘hardscape infrastructure engineering fix.’ We need sustainable infrastructure that incorporates natural elements.”

How Canadians Can Help

As pressures on wetlands continue to grow, it is important to understand the threats they face, including resource extraction, rising sea levels, and urban expansion. Activities such as cutting down trees or draining bogs and peatlands not only destroy these ecosystems but also release significant amounts of stored carbon into the atmosphere.

A global effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is essential to slowing and reversing climate change. However, shorter-term solutions can make a meaningful difference right now:

• Support wetland conservation programs like those led by Ducks Unlimited Canada.
• Advocate for nature based solutions in municipal planning to reduce flood risk.
• Avoid harmful practices such as shoreline armouring, which can disrupt natural sediment flow and damage wetlands.

Wetlands are part of Canada’s identity and a cornerstone of our environmental health. By protecting them, we safeguard biodiversity, strengthen climate resilience, and ensure clean water for generations to come. Everyone has a role to play in protecting these ecosystems today, and for the future.

To learn more on how you can build resilience.