412
13.1 Introduction
Wetlands can be defined as the 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 6 m. It includes also areas, which may incorporate riparian and
coastal zones adjacent to the wetlands, and islands at low tide lying within the wetlands (Fahmy et al. 2007). The key is the presence of water for some significant
period of time, which changes the soils, the microorganisms and the plant and animal communities, such that the land functions in a different way from either aquatic
or dry habitats (Barbier et al. 1997).
Wetlands are amongst the Earth’s most productive ecosystems (Barbier et al.
1997). Wetlands and coastal lagoons are valuable and sensitive environments and
their important role has been widely recognized at the international level within the
framework of the Convention on Wetlands, which known as Ramsar Convention.
The Ramsar Convention is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands (Ramsar 2014). Historically, many wetlands have been treated
as wastelands and drained or otherwise degraded. The Ramsar Convention on
Wetlands of International Importance was created to promote the conservation of
wetlands and their wise use and management. Ramsar is promoting new methods of
economic valuation to demonstrate that wetlands are valuable and should be conserved and wisely used (Barbier et al. 1997).
Wetlands have an imperious bio-ecological function through maintaining everlasting fit place for distinctive groups of biodiversity, especially migratory water
birds (EEAA 2016a). Wetlands have been described as “the kidneys of the landscape”, because of the functions they perform in the hydrological and chemical
cycles, and as “biological supermarkets” because of the extensive food webs and
rich biodiversity they support (Mitsch and Gosselink 1993).
Scott (1989) defined 30 groups of natural wetlands and nine manmade ones.
However, It can be categorize into five broad wetland systems:
• Estuaries – where rivers meet the sea and salinity is intermediate between salt
and freshwater (e.g., deltas, mudflats, salt marshes)
• Marine – coastal water not influenced by river flows (e.g., shorelines and coral
reefs)
• Riverine – land periodically inundated by river overtopping (e.g., water meadows, flooded forests, oxbow lakes)
• Palustrine – where there is more or less permanent water (e.g., papyrus swamp,
marshes, fen)
• Lacustrine – areas of permanent water with little flow (e.g., ponds, kettle lakes,
volcanic crater lakes)
Wetlands continue to decline globally, both in area and in quality. As a result, the
ecosystem services that wetlands provide to society are diminished. Contracting
Parties and their policymakers are urged to take immediate action to meet the
A.A. El-Gamal
13.1 Introduction
Wetlands can be defined as the 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 6 m. It includes also areas, which may incorporate riparian and
coastal zones adjacent to the wetlands, and islands at low tide lying within the wetlands (Fahmy et al. 2007). The key is the presence of water for some significant
period of time, which changes the soils, the microorganisms and the plant and animal communities, such that the land functions in a different way from either aquatic
or dry habitats (Barbier et al. 1997).
Wetlands are amongst the Earth’s most productive ecosystems (Barbier et al.
1997). Wetlands and coastal lagoons are valuable and sensitive environments and
their important role has been widely recognized at the international level within the
framework of the Convention on Wetlands, which known as Ramsar Convention.
The Ramsar Convention is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands (Ramsar 2014). Historically, many wetlands have been treated
as wastelands and drained or otherwise degraded. The Ramsar Convention on
Wetlands of International Importance was created to promote the conservation of
wetlands and their wise use and management. Ramsar is promoting new methods of
economic valuation to demonstrate that wetlands are valuable and should be conserved and wisely used (Barbier et al. 1997).
Wetlands have an imperious bio-ecological function through maintaining everlasting fit place for distinctive groups of biodiversity, especially migratory water
birds (EEAA 2016a). Wetlands have been described as “the kidneys of the landscape”, because of the functions they perform in the hydrological and chemical
cycles, and as “biological supermarkets” because of the extensive food webs and
rich biodiversity they support (Mitsch and Gosselink 1993).
Scott (1989) defined 30 groups of natural wetlands and nine manmade ones.
However, It can be categorize into five broad wetland systems:
• Estuaries – where rivers meet the sea and salinity is intermediate between salt
and freshwater (e.g., deltas, mudflats, salt marshes)
• Marine – coastal water not influenced by river flows (e.g., shorelines and coral
reefs)
• Riverine – land periodically inundated by river overtopping (e.g., water meadows, flooded forests, oxbow lakes)
• Palustrine – where there is more or less permanent water (e.g., papyrus swamp,
marshes, fen)
• Lacustrine – areas of permanent water with little flow (e.g., ponds, kettle lakes,
volcanic crater lakes)
Wetlands continue to decline globally, both in area and in quality. As a result, the
ecosystem services that wetlands provide to society are diminished. Contracting
Parties and their policymakers are urged to take immediate action to meet the
A.A. El-Gamal