This helps to protect streams, lakes, and other bodies of water downstream from a build-up of sediment that could otherwise clog aquatic animals' gills and bury their eggs. It also helps protect water supplies from pollutants and other impurities. That's because wetland plants can take up and use nutrients and chemicals that the silt may contain. If it weren't for wetlands, these impurities might eventually contaminate rivers, lakes, groundwater, and other water supplies-some of which are used as sources of drinking water. Farms, forest, and buildings that are located behind wetlands along the seashore and large lakes often fare much better during storms than those that aren't.
Wetlands serve as buffers between the winds and waves of storms and the areas beyond.
They also bind soil and help to keep it from eroding. Mangrove swamps are particularly good at this. In fact, certain islands cleared of their mangrove swamps have become so severely eroded that they're no longer visible above the ocean's surface. These productive places can support huge numbers of insects, fish, birds, and other animals. Below is a rundown of some of the ways wildlife uses wetlands.