Blanket bog

Wetlands

Why study wetlands?

Ramsar (The International Convention on Wetlands) defines wetlands as "areas of marsh, fen, peatland 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". Roughly 6% of the Earth’s land surface comprises some form of wetland, according to the UNEP-World Conservation Monitoring Centre, of which 2% are lakes, 30% bogs, 26% fens, 20% swamps, and 15% floodplains.

Various estimates suggest that the area occupied by wetlands in the UK has declined by 90% since Roman times. This decline has accelerated substantially in the last few centuries – with the introduction of intensive agriculture, the degradation of floodplains, the draining of the fens, the mining of lowland bogs for peat, the erosion of coastal wetlands and saltmarsh, and climate change.

CEH carries out a wide range of research into wetlands in the UK and overseas. This is principally because wetlands provide essential ecosystem functions and services, including regulation of water quality, sustainable control and mitigation of flooding, greenhouse gas reduction, essential habitats for plants and animals, and cultural and recreational facilities.

CEH's work on wetlands

CEH works with a number of partners, including Defra, the Environment Agency, Natural England and the Countryside Council for Wales. Recently, CEH was joint leader of the wetlands and coastal margins component of the UK National Ecosystem Assessment, which reviewed the current extent and status of wetlands and the degree to which they deliver ecosystem services. Overseas, CEH advises the International Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar) and the wetlands programme of IUCN-The World Conservation Union.

Past and current research projects

Some examples include:

  • The impact of climate change on wetlands
  • Water balance and the evaporation characteristics of wetlands
  • Links between groundwater and wetland management
  • Constructed wetlands for water quality management
  • Wetlands and diseases
  • Saltmarsh restoration
  • Floodplain modelling
  • The impact of carbon and ozone on plant vitality in wetlands
  • Detailed studies on individual wetlands, e.g. Tadham Moor, Wicken Fen, Holme and Woodwalton Fens (Great Fen)
  • Guidance on the hydrological impacts of wetlands
  • Coordination of Defra's research into wetland restoration with the objective of refining agri-environment schemes
  • Development of methods to assess the vulnerability of wetlands in the Himalayas
  • Investigation of links between soil moisture, land-surface feedbacks and river flow in the Mali wetlands for the EC FP6 WATCH project

Further information

For more on wetlands, and CEH's research, please contact Professor Mike Acreman.