fw.4.4 Wetlands
Content
- Geographic inquiry and concept(s)
- Future possibilities for management intervention in drainage basins
- Geographic knowledge and understanding
- Growing pressures on major wetlands and efforts to protect them, such as the Ramsar Convention
- Case study or detailed examples
- Case study of the future possibilities for one wetland area
- Aims of this lesson
- To be able to describe wetlands and their importance
- To be able to describe and explain the growing pressures on wetlands
- To be able to describe and explain efforts to protect wetlands - such as the Ramsar Convention
- To be able to describe and explain future possibilities for a wetland area.
- To be able to use the Kissimmee/Everglades as a case study for all of the above.
Base knowledge and understanding
News article
‘It’s destruction disguised as progress’: how the oil industry is sucking Iraq’s ancient wetlands dry
Hawizeh’s wetlands once had abundant fishing and wildlife. In a land threatened by drought and desertification, oil drilling is draining the last of the water
The Guardian · 13 August 2025
Key terms
- Ramsar Convention
- Officially known as the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, is a global treaty aimed at the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands. It recognises wetlands as areas of significant ecological value and promotes their protection through international cooperation and designation of Ramsar Sites.
- Wetland
- Areas where water covers the soil, or is present either at or near the surface of the soil all year or for varying periods of time during the year, including during the growing season. Water saturation largely determines how the soil develops and the types of plant and animal communities living in and on the soil.
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Human processes impact upon the natural processes of wetlands. The possibility of successful management depends upon the relative power of the stakeholders involved. The scale of the management necessary is reflected in the size of the drainage basin involved.
Review
- Outline what is meant by integrated drainage basin management. [2]
- Explain one benefit and one limitation of an integrated drainage basin management approach. [4]
- Evaluate the extent to which integrated drainage basin management plans balance the needs of different stakeholders. [10]
