Mediterranean Wetlands
Mediterranean Wetlands comprise the wetlands of the Mediterranean region. Wetlands are ubiquitous and they may briefly be defined as transitional spaces between land and water. In a more detailed sense, according to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, wetlands are defined as: :"areas of marsh, fen, peat land or water, whether natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, with water that is static or flowing, fresh, brackish or salt, including areas of marine water the depth of which at low tide does not exceed six metres […..] and may incorporate riparian and coastal zones adjacent to the wetlands, and islands or bodies of marine water deeper than six metres at low tide lying within the wetlands". The Ramsar Classification of wetland types includes 42 types which can be broadly divided into: * Marine and coastal wetlands * Inland wetlands * Human-made wetlands Among the richest ecosystems in the world, wetlands have an exceptional value, but are also the most threatened. In the ...
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Wetlands
A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The primary factor that distinguishes wetlands from terrestrial land forms or Body of water, water bodies is the characteristic vegetation of aquatic plants, adapted to the unique anoxic hydric soils. Wetlands are considered among the most biologically diverse of all ecosystems, serving as home to a wide range of plant and animal species. Methods for assessing wetland functions, wetland ecological health, and general wetland condition have been developed for many regions of the world. These methods have contributed to wetland conservation partly by raising public awareness of the functions some wetlands provide. Wetlands occur naturally on every continent. The water in wetlands is either freshwater, brackish or saltwater. The main wetland t ...
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