Sustainable Landscaping with a Mini Wetland
Last Updated: Mar 17, 2025Wetlands are an essential (and often overlooked) part of the natural environment. While most people know about the threats of climate change and biodiversity loss, few people have heard the alarming statistics associated with the destruction of wetlands.
One recent report finds that “50 percent of the world's wetlands have been destroyed in the last 100 years, threatening human welfare at a time of increasing water scarcity.” In the United States alone, around 110 million acres of wetlands have been lost, and more than 70,000 acres of wetlands are destroyed every year.
Below, we will look at why and how all of us can play a part in protecting local wetland ecosystems, and how domestic greywater recycling systems can help to restore our nation’s shrinking wetlands.
Ecological Benefits of Wetlands
Wetlands, also known as marshes, bogs, or swamps, are widely considered to be the link between land and water. These areas, which are periodically covered by water, have several important ecological functions and serve as critical links in the water cycle.
According to the U.S. EPA, “because of their sponge-like ability to absorb water, wetlands can slow the momentum of floodwaters or dissipate the damage from a coastal storm surge. Wetlands' highly developed root systems hold the soil in place and filter pollutants, naturally improving water quality (including water that is eventually used for drinking).”
With global warming assuring that extreme weather events will be more common and severe in years to come, the protection and expansion of wetland ecosystems can help to protect our homes from floods, stabilize shorelines and protect coastal homes, and provide necessary erosion control. Also, wetlands can assure healthy and clean sources of water within our watersheds, recharge sources of groundwater, and contribute to a more resilient home.
Wetlands are one of the most biologically productive and diverse ecosystems in the world. They contribute to overall soil fertility and can play an essential role as a sink that captures and safely stores carbon from the atmosphere. They also offer crucial habitat for a wide diversity of plants and animals, including more than 90 percent of the roughly 200 fish species in the Great Lakes region.
Table of Contents
- Homeowner Initiatives to Recreate Wetland Ecosystems: the Mini Wetland
- How to Build a Wetland
- Plants for Wetlands
- The Bottom Line
Plants for Wetlands
There are dozens of species of plants that are naturally adapted to growth in permanently wet soils. Cattails and other reeds are some of the best water purifying plants and will get rid of the soap and other residues from your household greywater. They will also attract frogs and other amphibians that hibernate in mud through the winter.
Royal, ostrich and cinnamon ferns are also great choices. Growing up to six feet tall, these can provide a nesting spot for several species of birds. Some types of trees, such as elderberries and swamp maple, can be planted on the surrounding edges of the wetland, offering fruit and ornamental touch.
The Bottom Line
Wetland ecosystems, because of the steady-state of humidity in the soil, encourage rapid vegetative growth. Within a year or two, the water that you would have otherwise literally sent down the drain will be contributing to the development of a diverse ecosystem that will increase wildlife habitat, purify water, recharge groundwater aquifers, and will create a beautiful addition to your yard. Just imagine if every backyard had a mini wetland!
Tobias Roberts
Tobias runs an agroecology farm and a natural building collective in the mountains of El Salvador. He specializes in earthen construction methods and uses permaculture design methods to integrate structures into the sustainability of the landscape.
