In terms of biodiversity , they are comparable to rain forests and coral reefs. This material forms a solid base for a large food chain. It feeds shellfish and small insects and fish which are food for many larger animals. In addition to providing habitat for many and varied species, wetlands are extremely important to people and to the environment generally. Wetlands plants old soil in place with their roots, absorb the energy of waves, break up the flow of river and stream currents, and slow water speeds generally.
Wetlands slow the speed of flood waters.
In addition to reducing erosion, this also mitigates damages due to flooding. Wetlands store carbon within their plant communities, rather than releasing it into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide. This provides a check to atmospheric instabilities such as global warming. Unfortunately, here in the United States, we have only recently recognized the value of our wetland ecosystems. In the past, we did not understand the ecological importance of these areas and viewed them as useless wastelands.