Wetlands Are Essential Wildlife Habitats, Yet We Continue to Lose Them

I recall fondly one evening standing in a cold room lit only by red lights and being fascinated by the dramatic undulations of two individuals engaged in an intimate dance. No, I was not in a club watching human dating rituals. I was in a laboratory cold room watching axolotls engage in their courtship dance.

Axolotls are neotenic salamanders, meaning they retain juvenile characteristics and stay in the water as adults with external gills and a tail shaped for swimming. I loved working with axolotls with their perpetual smiles and was distressed to learn that, although they do well in laboratories, they are endangered in the wild with alarmingly low populations in their native Mexico. Later I was heartened to read about a recent project that showed that the animals could be successfully reintroduced into restored and artificial wetlands.

Wetlands are essential habitats and hotspots for biodiversity in general, and, specifically, for a large assortment of waterbirds, migrants, and resident species. Yet this habitat is extremely vulnerable and rapidly disappearing. Human activities, especially development and agriculture, as well as climate-change-induced droughts, have resulted in the loss of half of all historic wetland areas. And despite greater awareness, the losses have not slowed down in the last decade or so.

How do we replace lost wetlands?

One solution to the rapid loss of wetlands has been to provide artificial wetlands. Though perhaps not as good as natural areas, they may very well provide essential support. The caveat is that they must be done right. It is too easy for a corporation, agency, or individual landowner to be allowed to fill in wetlands as long as they promise a mitigation project. To be successful, a wetland mitigation project must restore lost functionality, and not just create a wet area. Due to many complex factors, the success of mitigation projects has historically been mixed.

A 2022 study showed that although natural wetlands attract a greater abundance of bird species, artificial wetlands may also provide important habitats for most wetland bird species. A study in 2023 highlighted the need for conservation interventions in artificial habitats to offset the greater risk of breeding failure for birds. The Institute for Bird Populations (see alert about IBP on page 7) highlighted the importance of management when the IPB demonstrated that Willow Flycatchers use irrigation-fed wetlands and that continued supervision of these wetlands may be crucial for these birds.

How can we do better?

Given the slackening of federal regulations for development, we must remain vigilant to conserving this important habitat. We should advocate for wildlife management on wetlands throughout the state, including the Malheur and Klamath Refuges. Likewise, we need to support local wetlands such as Fern Ridge, Delta Ponds, and the West Eugene Wetlands. It’s essential to select suitable locations for wetland creation or restoration such that mitigation banks can deliver on their intended ecological goals.

Experts should monitor factors such as hydrology, vegetation, soil types, and the presence of wildlife. The surrounding area has been found to be just as important as the wetland itself. Is it surrounded by farmland? What is carried by runoff into the wetlands? Careful consideration of how to provide wetland habitat to birds (and axolotls) will determine the fate of these populations.