Without arguing, wetlands are definitely a cradle packed with life and energy. The international wetlands website stated that no matter if they are marshes, fens, peatlands or pond, whether natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, with water that is static or flowing, fresh, brackish or salt they are all wetlands (“What are wetlands?” Wetlands international.). The wetland habitats in Tai Po plays a critical role in both maintaining the local and global ecosystem. This complex and mysterious branch of biodiversity can be seen with examples of local organisms such as the Black-faced Spoonbill (“Wetland Animals - Birds.” Hong Kong Wetland Park. n.d. Web. 6 Feb. 2016) and water lilies.
Why are wetlands so important? Due to the fact that we have access to fresh water so easily, we often neglect the fact of how valuable fresh water really is. Although 70% the Earth is made up of water, however only 0.3% of the water is freshwater (Hong Kong Wetland Park, and Agriculture. Function of Wetlands). The educational resources on the Hong Kong Wetland Park site presented how important a stable supply of freshwater and a consistent water cycle is for farming, irrigation, washing and cooking. That is why we have to take good care of our wetlands. Wetlands have five major purposes. Aquatic plants in the wetlands act like big sponges that soak up surplus water. Then the water is released through rivers, streams and oceans to an underground layer of rock saturated with water called underground aquifer. Water would then be able to flourish even in dry months, thus supply the population next to it with a secure source of fresh water. Another advantage of wetlands is the fact that it could act as a natural flood presentation measure. Hong Kong Wetland Park biodiversity resource centre stated how the water absorption property of a wetland is able to control the peak discharge and flow rate of water, hence reducing the chance of flooding in lowland areas as well as protecting human life and their properties. Mangroves and coral reefs located near shorelines are able to act as a protection mechanism against storms and erosions by dampening the force of waves and currents. Aquatic plants growing in the river bands and ponds help retain storm water for further use. Natural filtering properties are also another advantage of wetlands. Wetlands are like a filter in a neutral environment that removes inorganic materials and reduces suspended sediments by the different microbes and insects which have the ability to break down the organic matter. Wetlands are arguably the most versatile habitat on the earth with the material, food and mechanisms that it provides for us. Many key ingredients in chines cuisine, rice, taro, job’s tear, watercress, fish and crab, all comes from the different habitats inside the wetlands. (Hong Kong Wetland Park, and Agriculture. Function of Wetlands)
In this article, I would be exploring two main habitats in the Ramsar site — freshwater marshes and mangroves. These two habitats allow animals such as bird, ducks, Ardeidae, waders, waterbirds, mudskippers and mud crabs to be able to sustain the livelihood by the abundant amount of shelter. Take the mangrove habitat as an example, adaptation to help them survive in such harsh environment can be clearly seen throughout all of the organisms in this environment. All of the plants, to a certain extent, had involved to be able to breathe in the submerged anoxic condition of the compact fine sediment substratum layer. (Hong Kong Wetland Park. Mangroves Communities. 2008. Web. 6 Feb. 2016.) The journey through the bridge on the wetlands allowed me to see different animals such as the iconic fiddler crap as it took small mud balls and organic matter from the ferns and plants next to the intertidal banks. Small burrows on the side of the river banks also allowed us to see how the fiddler crabs are able to react to the different tidal changes of the mangroves. From the pictures taken in the observation huts in the freshwater marshes, geographic factors such as the different islands in the middle of the marshes and flow of the river can be noticed that helped with the biodiversity in that area. (Hong Kong Wetland Park. Mangroves Communities)
Through my whole trip of wetlands, the habitat that fascinated me the most was the mangroves. It really was a remarkable experience to be able to with my own eyes how nature is finds different adaptations to the every challenge she is facing. Mangrove trees have knee joints and pneumatophores that help them breathe in the anoxic condition of the compact fine sediment substratum layer. Besides the knee joint like tentacles used for breathing, mangroves are also able to use their large surface area of root to help them secure onto the unstable substratum. To tackle the difficult environment for breeding, some mangroves developed vivipary structures (dropper seeds) to increase