Wetland

A wetland is land saturated or covered by water seasonally or permanently, where waterlogged conditions shape the soils and the plant and animal community. Coastal and marine wetlands include salt marshes, mangroves, tidal flats, seagrass beds, and estuaries, all listed habitat types under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (1971), which designates Wetlands of International Importance. These systems filter pollutants, buffer storm surge, nurse juvenile fish, and store large amounts of blue carbon in their sediments. They are among the fastest-disappearing habitats from drainage, reclamation, and sea-level rise, which makes restoration a conservation priority.