GLOBAL ISSUE
Habitats and Ecosystems - Wetlands
FACTS
Wetlands are among the most productive ecosystems in the world, comparable to rain forests and coral reefs. They provide values that no other ecosystem can. These include natural water quality improvement, flood protection, shoreline erosion control, opportunities for recreation and aesthetic appreciation and natural products (think fish and wildlife) for our use at no cost.
Wetlands along the Gulf Coast have declined by more than 70%. A football field-worth are lost every hour.
Wetlands are threatened by: conversion of wetlands to other land uses, climate change, freshwater inflow, and saltwater intrusion.
ARTIST
Kari Warpinski
From the artist: Wetlands are an ecosystem personally important to me. There is a strange irony in them - they are huge swaths of land teeming with life, and yet are so fragile when it comes to the impact humans can have on them. These areas are very vulnerable to destruction, especially because the media and building industries see them as eyesores. Growing up around expansive and beautiful wetlands, it’s easy for me to see their value. There is massive diversity in these habitats, in both animal and plant life. They are the joining of land and sea and are a host to a lot of life. I wanted to capture some of that beauty I see in my piece, in hopes that others could see it too.
Artist would like viewers to support the World Wildlife Fund.