Every year on February 2nd, people around the world mark World Wetlands Day to recognize ecosystems that are among the most productive and most threatened on Earth. The date commemorates the signing of the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance in 1971, an international treaty created to protect wetlands and the benefits they provide to people and wildlife alike.
Wetlands are landscapes shaped by water, with water present at or just below the ground surface for much of the year. Though often overlooked, they play an essential role in maintaining environmental health. In many ways, wetlands function like natural water filters and sponges.
Stormwater runoff picks up lawn chemicals, fertilizer, pet waste, oil, and other pollutants and carries them directly into creeks, streams, and groundwater. Wetlands intercept this polluted runoff before it reaches waterways. Wetland plants and soils store pollutants and nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus, then release them slowly as plants die and decompose. Plants also trap silt, preventing it from clouding streams and degrading habitat. As a result, water exits wetlands cleaner than when it arrived.
Wetlands also help reduce flooding by temporarily storing water and releasing it slowly over time. An acre of wetland can hold about a million gallons of water. In addition, wetlands provide habitat for a remarkable diversity of plants and animals.
Despite their importance, wetlands are disappearing at an alarming rate. According to the United Nations, wetlands are being lost three times faster than forests, making them the most threatened ecosystem on the planet. Since 1971, an estimated 35% of the world’s wetlands have been lost. Human activities such as drainage and infilling for agriculture and development, pollution, invasive species, overexploitation of resources, and climate change are the primary drivers of this decline. The United Nations has also highlighted a widespread misperception of wetlands as wastelands rather than life-sustaining systems that support livelihoods and essential ecosystem services. Scientists and public health experts warn that continued wetland loss would have serious consequences for both ecological and human health.
Protecting wetlands begins with understanding them. The U.S. National Park Service emphasizes that spending time in wetlands and learning about their functions is one of the most effective ways to foster protection and stewardship.
That connection between understanding and protection is central to the Lungfish project, which has prioritized wetlands as key sites for environmental sampling. Since early 2025, we have conducted weekly environmental sampling at two ecologically important wetland sites in Missouri.
The first site, Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area, is a restored floodplain wetland sustained primarily by treated effluent from the Columbia Wastewater Treatment Facility, with additional seasonal river inputs. Located along the Mississippi Flyway, it provides critical habitat for nearly 300 species of migrating and wintering birds.
The second site, the 3M Flat Branch–Hinkson Creek Wetland, also known as the MKT Wetlands, is a natural, stormwater-fed ecosystem that supports hundreds of freshwater-dependent species. Built to help protect Hinkson Creek from urban runoff, the wetlands filter an estimated 10 million gallons of stormwater before it reaches the creek, turning a pollution problem into a nature-based solution. What was once a degraded site near an old sewer plant has been reclaimed and restored into a thriving streamside corridor. These wetlands restore important ecological functions to the landscape and enhance water quality for people living in Columbia, Missouri.
By sampling these two wetlands in parallel, we can directly compare human-influenced and wildlife-driven viral communities. Eagle Bluffs reflects downstream viral diversity shaped by municipal wastewater, while the MKT Wetlands captures a baseline viral signature from a largely natural ecosystem. Together, these sites offer a powerful framework for studying viral persistence, ecological transport, and the boundary between engineered and natural microbial systems. These insights are increasingly important as wetlands continue to change worldwide.