Wetlands are land areas that are wet for some portion
of the year and include lakes, bogs, swamps, ponds, wet meadows and
others. Wetlands serve many functions. They prevent flooding, filter
and clean water supplies, and provide critical habitat for wildlife,
such as fish nurseries. Other functions include groundwater recharge,
sediment trapping, climate regulation and they provide areas for recreation.
Deep water wetlands include lakes and river. Shallow water wetlands
include swamps, bogs, marshes, and fens.
Wetlands cover 403,924 acres and deep water wetland habitats occur in
412,905 acres of Pennsylvania. Most of the wetlands in the state are
concentrated in the northeast and northwest counties. The majority of
Pennsylvania's endangered and threatened species are wetland species.
Wetlands are integral to the health of a wide array of Pennsylvania
wildlife populations. Most of Pennsylvania’s waterfowl, reptiles,
and amphibians rely on wetlands or river environments for at least some
aspect of their life cycle.
Habitat loss from human activities is the largest threat to Pennsylvania
wetlands today. Despite regulations to protect wetlands, they continue
to be altered and lost. Wetlands are being lost to peat mining, dams,
highway construction, and development.
If wetlands are destroyed during development projects, for instance
the development of roads or housing developments, regulating authorities
require that destroyed natural wetlands be replaced with man-created
wetlands. This process is called mitigation. It is unknown if man-created
wetlands can obtain the same quality and function of a natural wetland
for wildlife or for human needs. Vegetation structure, soil quality,
as well as species abundance and diversity may potentially differ between
the two types of wetlands. Wildlife species diversity has been found
in some sites to be lower in man-created sites than natural sites.
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