Agricultural management and wetlands: An overview

Abstract

Agriculture is the major driver of wetland loss or degradation globally. However, wetland agriculture is also a major contribution to human well-being across the world and a critical contributor to livelihoods, poverty reduction, and climate change adaptation, especially in developing countries. Through wetland agriculture, hundreds of millions of people interact with wetlands. In addition to their partial use or wholesale conversion as agricultural systems, wetlands also play a diversity of additional roles in agricultural management. Effective management of wetlands for sustainable agricultural use is a global priority, both due to the impact of wetland management on the water cycle and value of wetland productivity for human security and development. A key consideration for their sustainable management is that all services of wetlands are considered, as all are pertinent to overall ecosystem characteristics and integrity, the balance of benefits that they confer on diverse beneficiaries, and hence the net benefit that they provide to society now and into the future. The role of wetlands in agricultural productivity are diverse, including both direct uses and the indirect supporting, regulatory, and cultural services they provide, adding to the resilience and functioning of wider landscapes. Progressive recognition and internalization of these wider benefits into the policy environment is essential if sustainable agriculture and wetland use are to be achieved for the net security of humanity.