Wetlands, rivers, lakes, and coastal estuaries are all aquatic ecosystems—critical elements of Earth’s dynamic processes and essential to human economies and health. Wetlands connect land and ...

Wetlands are ecosystems ... wet grasslands, peatlands, oases, estuaries, deltas and tidal flats, mangroves and other coastal areas, coral reefs, and all human-made sites such as fishponds ...

An estuary is the section of a river mouth that is within the reach of ocean tides. They store large amounts of carbon and provide a habitat for fish, birds and marine mammals.