123 School Work

To be protected or not to be the disadvantages of being a wetland

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       Wetlands, some of the most diverse and important ecosystems, have recently been discussed in the United States Supreme Court and the media. The general public is becoming more aware of their importance and the ongoing controversy involving them. The definition of a wetland according to the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, as stated in Ralph Tiner's In Search of Swampland, is "lands transitional between terrestrial and aquatic systems where the water table is usually at or near the surface or the land is covered by shallow water" (5). This definition also states three components that these transition lands must have in order to be distinguished as wetlands. These lands must host mainly hydrophytes (water-loving plants), be composed of mainly saturated, undrained soil, and contain substrate that is covered by or saturated with water for some period of time during each year's growing season (Tiner, 6). Wetlands provide habitat for an immense amount of wildlife species, as well as naturally cleansing waters of pollutants and preventing floods by absorbing water. Also, many wetlands are located in rapidly growing areas that are desirable for development.
  
  The main controversy involving wetlands is between their preservation and development over. Wetlands are not stable enough to provide a hard surface that can support heavy buildings. Therefore, developers have to fill in wetlands, usually with dirt, which destroys them, before developers can build on top of the wetlands...