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What is a Wetland?

Wetlands are areas of land saturated or submerged under shallow water, either seasonally or permanently, including bogs, fens, marshes, swamps, and shallow open water. There are many benefits to leaving wetlands intact and restoring damaged or drained wetlands on agricultural land.

Agricultural Benefits of Wetlands

Flood Reduction

Wetlands act as natural sponges, collecting, storing, and slowly releasing water, reducing the risk of soil erosion, flood damage, and drought. Watersheds without sufficient wetland area (<10%) have a higher risk of significant peak flows, washing large amounts of sediment and contaminants into waterways.

A single acre of wetland can store over 1 million gallons of water! Flood protection increases with wetland abundance and health.

Groundwater Recharge

Wetlands allow water to infiltrate into shallow and deep groundwater. Small, seasonal wetlands are especially important for replenishing shallow groundwater.

Importantly, wetlands maintain a high-water table. Riparian plants transpire ('exhale') water, creating pressure that draws groundwater close to the surface, resulting in fuller dugouts, better soil moisture, and subirrigation of surrounding crops and forage. Undrained watersheds have significantly more moisture in the top 1.5m of surrounding soils compared to drained watersheds.

Water Filtration

Because of their high biological productivity, wetlands can transform contaminants into harmless by-products, improving water quality. Wetlands:

  • Remove up to 92% of the phosphorus received from overland runoff. Phosphorus retention is considered one of the most important attributes of natural wetlands.
  • Reduce nitrogen contamination through uptake by wetland plants, sediments, and denitrification, improving water quality.
  • Facilitate the natural die-off, predation, or entrapment of 80-90% of waterborne pathogens.

The high productivity of wetlands increases absorption, sequestration, and breakdown of additional contaminants, including pesticides and metals.

Local Weather

Wetlands produce a temperature-moderating effect, maintaining higher temperatures in winter and cooling summer temperatures by 2-3 degrees Celsius through evapotranspiration. Water evaporated from the wetland condenses in the atmosphere to create rain-producing clouds, providing an important source of moisture for farmland.

Pollinator Habitat
Wetlands within or adjacent to agricultural fields provide necessary cover for nesting bees and other pollinators, which can move into nearby fields and pollinate crops.

Additional Benefits

Biodiversity
The unique mixture of aquatic and terrestrial habitat, thermal stability, and highly productive vegetation make wetlands one of the most biodiverse ecosystems in the world. Canadian wetlands support over 600 species of plants, animals, and insects; and virtually all Prairie wildlife rely on wetland habitat for some stage of their life cycle.

Recreation
Wetlands provide opportunities for hunting, wildlife watching, and ecotourism. Research in Alberta and Saskatchewan found that the recreational value of wetlands was $1,490/ha, compared with only $37/ha for wetlands drained and used for cultivation.

Carbon Sequestration
Globally, wetlands store approximately 30% of terrestrial carbon while occupying only 5-8% of the landscape. The plants surrounding wetlands capture and store carbon within the soil, removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Managing Wetlands

Good practices for managing wetlands include:

  • Restore or expand a buffer of native riparian plants around the wetland, including trees and shrubs
  • Minimize contamination by using reduced or no-tillage and by matching fertilizer application with crop needs
  • Fence wetlands and set up off-site watering systems to limit livestock access and prevent over-use, trampling, and manure build-up
  • Locate livestock feeding, bedding, and shelter in areas where wastes will not be carried by runoff into the wetland

Drained wetlands can be restored by removing drainage features and replanting the area with native wetland species.

Agricultural producers interested in establishing beneficial management practices within their farming operation should contact ALUS. To learn more about the ALUS program, visit www.parklandcounty.com/ALUS.

Landowner Guide to the Alberta Wetland Policy
Wetland drainage, ditching, infilling, and consolidation are regulated in Alberta because wetland loss can have serious impacts for landowners, municipalities, and others. Impacts can include increased risks of flooding, erosion, and drought; reduced water quality; and wildlife habitat loss.

For more information on what you need to know when working in and around wetlands on your farm or ranch, review the Landowner Guide to the Alberta Wetland Policy.

References

Wetlands | Alberta.ca
Wetlands on Farms - ALUS
Wetlands: Protecting Life and Property from Flooding
Prairie Wetlands in a Changing Climate
WetlandLandownersGuide.pdf
Video – Alberta Conservation Association
Wetlands - and Water Quality
LakesandWetlandsRHAWorkbook2020-1.pdf
Wetlands | The Canadian Encyclopedia
Biodiversity and Ecosystem - Parkland County
Value of Wetlands - Cows and Fish
Biodiversity, pollinators and conservation — Ducks Unlimited Canada
What is a wetland? — Ducks Unlimited Canada
Wetlands On My Lands - DUC