Why are we saving the wetlands?

Question

Methane is, apparently, a terribly dangerous greenhouse gas. Wetlands, including rice agriculture, are the single biggest contributor to this devastating greenhouse gas at 37% of the total world emmisions.(Trace Gases: Current Observations, Trends, and Budgets. Climate Change 2001. United Nations Environment Programme). So why don't we just pave them all over?

Answer 1

Because they are an essential part of the biosphere.

Answer 2

Ah, you're missing the point.

If it's natural, it's some how OK, but if it's human caused, then that's evil.

You know:

Humans build a dam = evil and unnatural

Beavers build a dam = helpful and natural.

The entire environmental movement considers mankind not to be another animal on the planet, but an invasive species, as if we can from outer space.

Everything we do is evil.

The TRUE agenda of the environmentalists is to stamp out capitalism.

It's the religion of leftism, and if you worship it, you will help kill capitalism.

Answer 3

I think wetlands have the function in protecting the water quality, the surrounding ecosystem, transformation of carbon dioxide to oxygen through photosynthesis, and peoples. The following website gives a good guidelines of why we should save the wetlands.

http://water.usgs.gov/nwsum/WSP2425/func...

If not so, you probably need to live a most polluted and most toxic and dangerous city, Hong Kong. Hong Kong is a cement forest lives with 7 million citizens. Due the air pollution, the Li Ka Shing Medical Centre, University of Hong Kong has recorded a total ten million clinical visits for the treatment of foul air caused diseases of asthma, heart and lung just in 2007.

Answer 4

That's only a small portion of the story, I'm afraid. As with any incredibly complicated ecological scenario, there are many trade-offs involved. While wetlands do give off a large amount of methane gas, they are vitally important in processing and cleansing fresh water. As polluted water flows through a wetlands area, it literally absorbs toxins, soil run-off and other nasty things that would otherwise end up further down stream and maybe, eventually, in your glass of water. Further, they are home to certain species of animals that can only exist in that climate. To destroy their habitats could, theoretically, set off a chain reaction that could affect 1000's of species of animals around the globe.

Thus, it's probably a good idea to put a hold on the bulldozers and cement trucks and just let the wetlands be for now.

Also, a side note to the guy who says that environmentalists want to destroy capitalism: I'm guessing you've never seen a beaver dam. If you had, you'd realise it's not made out of concrete. Further, beaver dams don't hold back millions of gallons of water, destroy thousands of acres of forest and prevent fish from migrating back to their mating grounds.

I'm not saying all man-made dams are bad. I'm just saying that you are a moron...

Answer 5

because wetlands are habitats of wildlife such as birds. some birds temporarily take refuge in wetlands and if we eliminate that refuge they will die. if birds die then things that eat birds starve and die. then as we move up the chain more things start to die.

Answer 6

When it comes down to it, just about anything that is in existence can be blamed for the extinction of the planet... including the human, whom definitely is the number one contributor  to the damage of the planet, causing more harm than anything else combined. However, he is the only one whom is allowed to continue to befoul Mother Earth, animals and mankind....

I mean really... according to humans.... trees, animals, the weather, even the Earth herself is to blame for the destruction of the world and mankind.... when will the blame stop for blaming everything and everyone else but MAN?

It won't in that tooooooo much money is raised on either side  claiming to wish to save this or that.

They government, the corporations, the hospitals, the insurance companies, the 'environmental' programs are simply hustlers for a piece of the pie and all claim to be for the benefit of man, animal and mother earth... but all in the end are for THEMSELVES...  

I have found if you dig deep enough even in the so-called environmentalist groups... there is some one getting paid, or holding onto some piece of land, that they later 'barter' to the highest bidder.... every year the 'saved' lands are shrinking in that they are being sold, to persons or corporations claiming to represent a particular agency that is SUPPOSED TO BE a conservatorship....

Answer 7

Well mosquitos that breed in wetlands feed the birds who c**p on your car which eats away at the finish and then you have to get another clear coat put on it thus making the painters a lot of money.

Guess who the number one supporter of wetland preservation is! That's right, painters.

Answer 8

Ah, there are many animals that depend on these lands for survival.  If someone took away your home, what would you do?  It also protects animals that are endangered!

Answer 9

Interesting point, I guess when it comes to solutions this was not on the list.

Answer 10

http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseac...

Answer 11

Because the wetlands are the habitat for many bio-diversity.  And human activity has already shrunk the wetland greatly.  We are not saving them we are tying to undo the devastation to the natural habitat for various spices of animals that can only survive in the wetlands.  While naturally Methane can be produced in swamp lands and wetland ... the areas of the world that were naturally covered by the wetlands compared to the total land area was very small and the life form need them to sustain the food chain.  Paving the wetland is not a solution nor is just leaving them as they are... we need to reduce the man made pollution and green house gas emissions instead of finding fault with the wetlands that at least also support abundant bio-diversity and have no other alternatives.  Your argument is like saying why don't we drill in Alaska wild life refuge?  All the wild life protection of the wetlands is just a drop in the bucket ... before we know it the sea levels will be so high that all of east coast or what is left of it above ground will be wetlands. So saving wetlands is to save biodiversity not to reverse global warming.  Global warming solution will need a lot more than just paving the wetlands even if that were possible.  But a good start is to stop paving the Amazon and Indonesia.

Answer 12

Because they have ALOT of wildlife that you can't find anywhere else....and a lot of those animals need the wetlands to survive.

Answer 13

The wetlands is a whole ecosystem that relies on, and is relied on by, other ecosystems.  It's like the domino effect - one ecosystem goes away, the effects could be catastrophic on the others, which could be catastrophic for us.

Answer 14

so we can get mosquito bites