Integrated planning and management of freshwater habitats,including wetlands

Freshwater habitats play a very important role in sustaining human activities. Natural functions of wetlands, and other freshwater habitats, generate a wide array of resources that directly or indirectly support the economic and social welfare of diverse groups of people. This role is being seriously weakened as a result of inappropriate planning and management approaches which fail to maintain the functional integrity of the freshwater ecosystems with the result that the flow and quality of resources is degraded. This paper illustrates some of the major functions of wetlands and presents a case for developing integrated planning and management practices that protect the health and productivity of freshwater wetlands and seek to optimise the sustainable use of the flows of resources they generate.