All are listed under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, an international treaty administered by the World Conservation Union.
Wetlands are areas of land permanently or temporarily covered with water.
They come in many different guises, including swamps, bogs, marshes, lagoons, lakes, estuaries, mudflats and flood plains. While we tend not to like the mud and dampness associated with wetlands, it is these very features which make them so fascinating. Until recently many were seen as areas to be reclaimed, drained, or used as rubbish dumps. Some 85,000 hectares of Waikato farmland was once wetland. Much more than mud Most wetlands are rich in nutrients and support a diverse range of plants and animals, many of which have specially adapted to living in wet places.