To many, the wetlands of Malaysia are merely foul-smelling breeding groundsfor insects. Wetlands - defined as areas covered by water including lakes,ponds, swamps, dams and coastal habitats such as mudflats and reefs are mistakenly considered dark, dirty, dingy corners of our ecosystem best forgotten.Yet,these watery realms have been supplying us with invaluable resources since time immemorial.I ask that you consider the need to save our wetlands. We support this worthy cause because our wetlands are: natural source of water ,natural source of sustaining crops and fishing and many other economic activities .
 
  
 
We get water from underground aquifers, deep within the earth. Surface wetlands gather water from rains and floods, slowly releasing it into the ground where it percolates through soil and rock.Pools of water form Aquifers ,underground streams and wells. 
 
Save our Wetland 
The communal well of water from an aquifer is the lifeblood of our communities, and so too are the rivers, streams, lakes and ponds that form much of the wetlands. It is a long purification process, but a necessary one. Because we rely on water  from these reservoirs for our homes, our farms, and our factories. And, although it is not commonly known, the peat swamp forests also play an important part in the water table. They provide us with a constant source of groundwater for agricultural irrigation, even during the dry season. So, if we destroy our wetlands, we destroy our most basic necessity - water. 
 
 
Mangrove swamps are crucial to the survival of Malaysia,because they serve as a barrier against soil erosion,acting as a shield to protect agricultural crops from damage by strong and salt laden winds.
 
 
Save our Wetland
But their highest economic value lies in the part they play in our fishing industry. 
 Mangrove swamps provide natural breeding, nursery and feeding areas 
 for variety of fish and shellfish. Species like Red Snapper, Siakap, and prawns 
 depend on these swamps for their survival. 
 
 
 
Plants like the Nipah Palm, which grows exclusively in mangrove swamps, 
 are essential to the survival of some people. Three generations of families in 
 Kampung Pasir Penambang, for instance, have survived on the bounty of 
 the Nipah forests in their neighbouring swamplands. 
 
 
 
They make straw wrappers from the Nipah stalks, fish traps and fishing rods 
 from the stiff midribs of the Nipah fronds, and a whole variety of goods 
 like hats, umbrellas, mats, bags, baskets and hemp ropes from the twisted 
 fibres and dried leaves of the Nipah Palms. 
 Some RM200 a month is made by each family from the sale of Nipah 
 byproducts, enough to put food on the table. These people therefore 
 need the mangrove swamps for food, clothing and shelter, 
 and should not be denied their livelihood. 
  
 
The mangrove swamps are also home to the famous fireflies,  
like the ones in Kuala Selangor who put on their spectacular aerial shows  
while performing their courtship and mating rituals. Fireflies depend on  
mangrove conservation for food, and shelter, and they reward us with  
their dazzling displays of firelight.  
 So, only by protecting this fragile ecosystem can we keep the fires burning. 
  
 
 
 
 
Wetland areas like peat and mangrove swamps keep seawater 
 from penetrating too far inland, and this maintains a balance 
 in the flow of freshwater. If freshwater flows upstream unimpeded, 
 it will jeopardise freshwater resources to local communities, 
 damaging their crops and affecting domestic 
 and agricultural water supplies.
  
  It will also drown freshwater fishes like the toman and the ikan kelisa, 
 who cannot live in the salty seawater and will die from the salinity. 
 So the swamps keep the fish alive, because they keep freshwater fresh. 
 Most importantly, by maintaining a balance between saltwater and freshwater, 
 the wetlands serve as a natural meeting place for the river and the sea. 
 This regulates the flow of the river, moderating the local climate 
 and purifying the water that entire communities depend on as 
 invaluable resources for fisheries, recreation and science.
 
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