Three things most people don’t realize about wetlands:
They quietly protect coastlines. They store enormous amounts of carbon. And they safeguard the health of communities.
Yet across the world, nearly 70% of wetlands have already been lost.
In this edition of Voices from the Field, I sat down with wetland researcher Zach Czoer to talk about the hidden power of wetlands, the role they play in protecting communities, and why restoring them has become more urgent than ever.
What Exactly Is a Wetland?
A wetland is an ecosystem where soil is covered or saturated with water for part of the growing season.
Because of this constant water saturation, the soil becomes low in oxygen, creating what scientists call anoxic conditions.
This single condition changes everything.
It affects the soil chemistry, the types of plants that can survive, and the ecosystem services the wetland provides.
From the outside, wetlands may look like simple stretches of grass or marshland.
But beneath the surface, they are working ecosystems that support biodiversity, regulate water systems, and protect surrounding communities.
The Overlooked Power of Wetlands
In coastal regions like those in Georgia, wetlands often appear as wide fields of salt marsh grass stretching toward the horizon.
At first glance, they can seem unremarkable.
But according to Zachary Czoer, these landscapes are quietly performing some of the most important environmental services on the planet.
One of the most powerful of these services is carbon storage.
These coastal wetlands are part of what scientists call Blue Carbon ecosystems.
Understanding Blue Carbon
Blue carbon refers to carbon that is captured and stored by coastal ecosystems, particularly:
• Salt marshes • Mangroves • Seagrasses
These ecosystems exist at the interface between marine and terrestrial environments, where land and ocean meet.
Plants in these habitats absorb large amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
But the real magic happens in the soil.
Because wetland soils are saturated with water and low in oxygen, organic matter decomposes very slowly. Instead of releasing carbon back into the atmosphere, the carbon becomes buried in sediments where it can remain stored for very long periods.
Per acre, these ecosystems can store far more carbon than many terrestrial forests.
That makes wetlands a powerful natural ally in the fight against climate change.
Wetlands as Natural Coastal Defenses
Wetlands also act as natural protection systems for coastal communities.
One clear example comes from mangrove ecosystems in Florida.
During hurricane season, mangrove forests help reduce wave energy and storm surge, protecting coastal areas from severe damage.
Their dense root systems stabilize shorelines and reduce erosion.
Without these natural barriers, coastal communities would face much greater flooding and infrastructure loss.
In many cases, wetlands provide the same services that expensive human-built infrastructure — like seawalls — attempt to replicate.
Wetlands and Water Quality
Wetlands also serve as natural filtration systems.
They trap and recycle nutrients such as nitrogen and carbon before they can reach rivers, estuaries, and coastal waters.
This helps prevent problems like:
• harmful algal blooms • declining water quality • oxygen depletion in aquatic systems
At the same time, wetlands support wildlife habitats that sustain fisheries, bird populations, and local economies.
Wetlands, Climate Resilience, and Environmental Justice
For vulnerable communities, wetlands can play a major role in climate resilience.
Salt marsh ecosystems help reduce:
• shoreline erosion • flooding risk • storm damage
These protections are especially critical for communities located along coastlines where environmental changes can directly affect homes, infrastructure, and livelihoods.
Unfortunately, much of the world’s wetlands have been lost due to development and agricultural expansion.
Today, scientists, conservation groups, and policymakers are working to restore and protect these ecosystems before more disappear.
Nature-Based Solutions: Restoring Oysters
One promising approach involves restoring oyster populations to strengthen coastal ecosystems.
Oysters provide numerous ecological benefits.
They can:
• capture sediment • reduce wave energy • improve water quality through filtration • create habitat for marine life
At the same time, oysters are also f important species for many coastal communities.
However, nearly 90% of historic oyster populations have declined globally.
Restoring oyster reefs has therefore become an important strategy for improving both ecosystem health and economic sustainability.
Research Spotlight: Salt Marsh Resilience
In his recent research, Zachary Czoer explored how oyster shell restoration can help strengthen salt marsh ecosystems in Georgia.
Using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and drone imagery, researchers monitored shoreline changes over time to observe whether marsh areas were eroding or expanding.
This pilot study demonstrated how nature-based solutions, such as oyster reef restoration, may help improve the long-term resilience of salt marsh systems.
The research was published in the open-access journal Diversity, making the findings accessible to researchers and the public alike. Here is the link- https://doi.org/10.3390/d18030150
What Happens If Wetlands Disappear?
The loss of wetlands can trigger a chain reaction of environmental and social impacts.
Communities may experience:
• increased flooding • coastal erosion • declining water quality • loss of biodiversity • greater vulnerability to storms
Replacing these natural protections often requires expensive infrastructure, yet even those solutions rarely replicate all the benefits wetlands provide naturally.
For public health, wetland loss may also increase stress on communities through rising flood risks, displacement, and long-term environmental instability.
These impacts often occur slowly over decades, making them easy to overlook until they become severe.
Opportunities for Students and Communities
There are many ways for students and communities to support wetland restoration.
Programs that recycle oyster shells from restaurants, for example, allow those shells to be returned to coastal environments where they can help rebuild oyster reefs.
Community members can also support conservation through:
• volunteering in restoration programs • participating in environmental education initiatives • supporting coastal conservation organizations • exploring and learning about local wetland ecosystems
Sometimes the first step is simply getting outside and experiencing these ecosystems firsthand.
Final Reflection
Protecting wetlands is not just about conserving nature.
It is about protecting water quality, climate resilience, biodiversity, and the health of communities.
As Zachary Czoer reminds us, wetlands may look simple on the surface.
But beneath that quiet landscape lies an ecosystem working every day to protect the planet.
Voices from the Field Where science meets the real world.
Acknowledgment
Special thanks to the FacultyCenter GeorgiaSouthern for providing the podcast space and technical support that made this Voices from the Field episode possible.
Until next time, Oluwatunmise Akanmu
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