Wetlands (SL IB Geography)

• Wetlands have the following characteristics, they: 
• Are areas of land which are permanently flooded
• Can be man-made, inland or coastal
• Are diverse and make up 6% of the world’s habitats

Types of wetland

Name of wetland	Description
Riverine	Located on floodplains
Lacustrine	Located close to lakes
Palustrine	Fens and peatlands
Tidal	Coastal and caused by fluctuating tidal waves
Marine	Coastal wetland which is formed near lagoons, estuaries and spits

Threats to wetlands

• The threats to wetlands include:
  • Clearance to make way for housing and industry
  • Global warming 
    • Warmer temperatures, drought and evapotranspiration can lead to water loss
  • Wetlands are highly dependent on water levels
• Wetlands can provide social, economic and environmental benefits:
  • More than 1 billion people depend on wetlands to make a living for example through fishing
  • Groundwater recharge
  • Shoreline stablisation
  • Storm protection
  • Flood mitigation
• Wetlands can be used for:
  • Tourism
  • Peat
  • Wildlife resources

The Ramsar Convention 

• Examples of sustainable management of wetlands exist at varying scales due to the Ramsar Convention
• The Ramsar Convention was developed in Iran in 1971
• Over 60 countries endorse the Ramsar Convention 
• The aim of the Ramsar Convention is “the conservation and wise use of all wetlands through local and national actions and international cooperation, as a contribution towards achieving sustainable development throughout the world”
• The convention requires signatories to do the following:
  • Designate international wetlands
  • Sustain their ecological character
  • Plan for wise use
  • Allocate certain areas as nature reserves
• Over 500 Ramsar sites span 30 million hectares around the world

• Türkiye became a party to the Ramsar Convention in 1994

Location of Ramsar Sites in Türkiye

• Lake Kuyucuk is a wetland in Türkiye
• A freshwater stream and spring-fed lake its area is 245 hectares
• The wetland site was chosen to be Türkiye’s European Destination of Excellence in 2009
• The wetland provides economic resources to local people
• The habitat is home to over 230 species of bird
• Located on the African-Eurasian migration routeway for birds
• The government spent over $220,000 in creating Türkiye’s first bird island
• Local villagers started their own non-governmental organisation for conservation and tourism because it was the only source of water for 3 villages
• Türkiye’s government funded a visitor centre and guesthouse to increase tourism to the area
• Threats to Lake Kuyucuk include:
  • The Lake has dried up twice in 2019, 2021 and 2023
  • The lake cannot be fed from other reservoirs in the region because they contain fish eggs which would mean migratory birds would not visit
  • Cereal production and agriculture is a source of income in the area which uses a considerable amount of water
  • Overgrazing by cattle has caused a disturbance for the birds
  • A report by Turkish Scientists in 2021 said that the lake dries up because of unregulated use of groundwater and illegal damming of streams
  • The conflict between local farmers and conservationists arose when the local government ordered the illegal dams to be pulled down and local farmers rebuilt them a few weeks later
  • Lack of snowfall to feed the lake
• Future possibilities for Lake Kuyucuk are that the lake could dry up
• Plans have been put in place by the Kars Governorship to demolish artificial ponds in the upper part of the lake in hope of restoring groundwater flows
• It is hoped that more birds return to the area as shown by the return of coots, gray ducks and shelducks
• A borehole has been drilled to feed the lake to limit the lake from drying up