More than one billion people make a living from wetlands. Livelihoods from fishing, rice farming, travel, tourism, and water provision all depend on wetlands. And wetlands are vital to us in many other ways. They host a huge variety of life, protect our coastlines, provide natural sponges against river flooding, and store carbon dioxide to regulate climate change. Unfortunately, wetlands are often viewed as wasteland, and more than 64% of our wetlands have disappeared since 1900.
In 2016, the theme for World Wetlands Day is 'Wetlands for our future: Sustainable livelihoods.' Read more or follow #WorldWetlandsDay, #WetlandsForOurFuture.
IWMI has a photo story about the wetlands on Anawilundawa lake in Sri Lanka and the communities that depend on them. Read more.
