The wonder of wetlands Wetlands have a vast capacity to absorb chemicals, filter pollutants and sediments, and cleanse millions of litres of life-bearing water. They even act as highly effective sewage treatment works, and are quite capable of breaking down suspended solids and neutralizing harmful bacteria. Take these important functions away, and chaos ensues. Polluted water kills fish.
Migratory birds abandon the area and either go elsewhere or die out.
The disappearance of wildlife eventually leads to people's food supplies being disrupted or destroyed and their livelihoods ruined. Wetland pollution ultimately brings death and disease to human, plant, and animal communities across the world. A case in point is the Aral Sea in central Asia - the most polluted area of water on Earth. Once known as the Blue Sea, it was the world's fourth largest freshwater lake. But in just 30 years, it has shrunk to less than half its size and has become as salty as any ocean.