Wetlands are areas where water covers the soil or is present near the surface for all or part of the year, providing habitat for wildlife and plants. They filter and store water, absorb flood waters and winds, and offer recreational activities. Wetlands are classified as marine, estuarine, lacustrine, riverine, or palustrine, and examples of each type found in Trinidad and Tobago include the Bon Accord lagoon, Caroni swamp, Godineau river, and Buccoo Bay freshwater marsh.

2. What are wetlands
 Wetlands are areas where water covers the soil, or
is present either at or near the surface of the soil
all year or for varying periods of time during the
year, including during the growing season.

3. Benefits of Wetlands
 Provide habitat for a wide variety and number of wildlife
and plants.
 Filter, clean and store water - in other words, acting like
kidneys for other ecosystems!
 Collect and hold flood waters.
 Absorb wind and tidal forces.
 Provide places of beauty and many recreational activities
 Wetlands also act like sponges by holding flood waters and
keeping rivers at normal levels. Wetlands filter and purify
water as it flows through the wetland system. Plants found
in wetlands help control water erosion.

4. How wetlands work

5. Types of Wetlands
 marine (coastal wetlands including coastal
lagoons, rocky shores, and coral reefs);
 estuarine (including deltas, tidal marshes, and
mangrove swamps);
 lacustrine (wetlands associated with lakes);
 riverine (wetlands along rivers and streams); and
 palustrine (meaning “marshy” - marshes, swamps and
bogs).

6. Wetlands in Trinidad and Tobago
 marine – Bon Accord lagoon
 estuarine – Caroni swamp, Nariva Swamp, Oropuche
lagoon
 riverine – Godineau river, Marianne river
 palustrine – Buccoo Bay freshwater marsh

7. Wetlands in Trinidad and Tobago