Wetlands are vital to the survival of many plants and animals, including many threatened and endangered species. Many other species, such as mink, otters, muskrats, and amphibians rely on wetlands as their primary habitats. For many migratory animals, wetlands provide essential temporary habitats where food, water, and cover are abundant. Wetlands help to improve water quality by slowing surface runoff and retaining nutrients, processing organic waste, and precipitating sediment before it reaches open water where it could cause problems. They slow and filter runoff and surface waters, thus safeguarding the quality of lakes, bays, and rivers.
Wetlands also shield many of our sources of drinking water.
They are the foundation of many commercially and recreationally important species of fish, shellfish, and wildlife. They control floodwaters and defend shorelines from erosion. Wetlands can store rainwater and slowly release it. Trees, shrubs, cattails, and other wetland vegetation help slow moving surface water. This combined action of storage and slowing can decrease floods and reduce the speed of the water flow thus diminish the water' s erosive potential.