Wetland Biodiversity Threats and their Root Causes

Wetlands are transitional ecosystems between terrestrial and aquatic systems. Wetlands provide natural resources products and services for humanity and their products which are play an important role for food security. Dembia wetland is situated on a basaltic plateau in the north-western range of the Lake Tana in the Amhara National Regional State. These wetlands have benefits through supplying many goods and services to people. These goods and services include food, fibre, clean water, pollution control, organic matter or sediment export flood and storm control, ground water recharge and discharge, habitat for animal and plant migration, landscape and waterscape connectivity. The role of wetlands in climate regulation, adaptation and mitigation are also high, because wetlands play an important role in carbon and nitrogen storage, and they are also natural sources of greenhouse gases (GHG. Major threats in the Dembia wetlands were agricultural encroachments, heavy cattle grazing, urbanization, and invasive species/weed infestation, and land degradation, risk of eutrophication and climate change.