Editing Swamp (section)

==Values and ecosystem services==
[[File:Linnaistensuo swamp, Lahti, Finland.jpg|thumb|The [[Linnaistensuo Mire]], a [[nature reserve]] swamp in [[Lahti]], Finland.<ref>{{cite web |title=Linnaistensuo Mire |url=http://book.visitlahti.fi/en/to-do/1178441/the-linnaisten-swamp-linnaistensuo/showdetails |website=Visit Lahti |publisher=Lahti Region |access-date=18 November 2020 |archive-date=1 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211201191058/https://book.visitlahti.fi/en/to-do/1178441/the-linnaisten-swamp-linnaistensuo/showdetails |url-status=live }}</ref>]]
Swamps and other [[wetlands]] have traditionally held a very low [[property value]] compared to fields, [[prairie]]s, or [[woodland]]s. They have a reputation for being unproductive land that cannot easily be utilized for human activities, other than [[hunting]], [[animal trapping|trapping]], or fishing. Farmers, for example, typically drained swamps next to their fields so as to gain more land usable for planting crops, both historically, and to a lesser extent, presently. On the other hand, swamps can (and do) play a beneficial ecological role in the overall functions of the natural environment and provide a variety of resources that many species depend on. Swamps and other wetlands have shown to be a natural form of flood management and defense against flooding. In such circumstances where flooding does occur, swamps absorb and use the excess water within the wetland, preventing it from traveling and flooding surrounding areas.<ref name=":0" /> Dense vegetation within the swamp also provides soil stability to the land, holding soils and sediment in place whilst preventing erosion and land loss. Swamps are an abundant and valuable source of [[fresh water]] and [[oxygen]] for all life, and they are often breeding grounds for a wide variety of species. Floodplain swamps are an important resource in the production and distribution of fish.<ref>Lowe-McConnell, R. H. (1975). Fish Communities in Tropical Fresh waters: Their Distribution, Ecology and Evolution. London: Long man</ref> Two thirds of global fish and shellfish are commercially harvested and dependent on wetlands.<ref name=":0" />