Extensive global wetland loss over the past three centuries

Etienne Fluet-Chouinard (), Benjamin D. Stocker, Zhen Zhang, Avni Malhotra, Joe R. Melton, Benjamin Poulter, Jed O. Kaplan, Kees Klein Goldewijk, Stefan Siebert, Tatiana Minayeva, Gustaf Hugelius, Hans Joosten, Alexandra Barthelmes, Catherine Prigent, Filipe Aires, Alison M. Hoyt, Nick Davidson, C. Max Finlayson, Bernhard Lehner, Robert B. Jackson and Peter B. McIntyre
Additional contact information
Etienne Fluet-Chouinard: Stanford University
Benjamin D. Stocker: ETH Zurich
Zhen Zhang: University of Maryland
Avni Malhotra: Stanford University
Joe R. Melton: Environment and Climate Change Canada
Benjamin Poulter: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Biospheric Sciences Laboratory
Jed O. Kaplan: The University of Hong Kong
Kees Klein Goldewijk: Utrecht University
Stefan Siebert: Georg-August-Universität Göttingen
Tatiana Minayeva: Care for Ecosystems
Gustaf Hugelius: Stanford University
Hans Joosten: University of Greifswald
Alexandra Barthelmes: University of Greifswald
Catherine Prigent: Sorbonne Université, Observatoire de Paris, Université PSL, CNRS, LERMA
Filipe Aires: Sorbonne Université, Observatoire de Paris, Université PSL, CNRS, LERMA
Alison M. Hoyt: Stanford University
Nick Davidson: Nick Davidson Environmental, Queens House
C. Max Finlayson: Charles Sturt University, Elizabeth Mitchell Drive
Bernhard Lehner: McGill University
Robert B. Jackson: Stanford University
Peter B. McIntyre: University of Wisconsin-Madison

Nature, 2023, vol. 614, issue 7947, 281-286

Abstract: Abstract Wetlands have long been drained for human use, thereby strongly affecting greenhouse gas fluxes, flood control, nutrient cycling and biodiversity1,2. Nevertheless, the global extent of natural wetland loss remains remarkably uncertain3. Here, we reconstruct the spatial distribution and timing of wetland loss through conversion to seven human land uses between 1700 and 2020, by combining national and subnational records of drainage and conversion with land-use maps and simulated wetland extents. We estimate that 3.4 million km2 (confidence interval 2.9–3.8) of inland wetlands have been lost since 1700, primarily for conversion to croplands. This net loss of 21% (confidence interval 16–23%) of global wetland area is lower than that suggested previously by extrapolations of data disproportionately from high-loss regions. Wetland loss has been concentrated in Europe, the United States and China, and rapidly expanded during the mid-twentieth century. Our reconstruction elucidates the timing and land-use drivers of global wetland losses, providing an improved historical baseline to guide assessment of wetland loss impact on Earth system processes, conservation planning to protect remaining wetlands and prioritization of sites for wetland restoration4.

Date: 2023
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (13)

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DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-05572-6

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