wetlands

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wetlands A general term applied to openwater habitats and seasonally or permanently waterlogged land areas, including lakes, rivers, and estuarine and freshwater marshes. Wetland habitats, especially marsh and bog areas, are among the most vulnerable to destruction since they can be drained and reclaimed for agriculture or forestry, drained for pest control (e.g. to eliminate breeding grounds for malaria-carrying mosquitoes), or modified for water supply, flood control, hydroelectric power schemes, waste disposal, etc.

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