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Did ____ know that February 2nd is World Wet lands Day?

Some may wonder whether wetlands are ____ enough to celebrate every year.

They may think wetlands are useless and ____ places, but actually they are unique ecosystems that must be protected because they provide numerous benefits to both the environment and humans.

For example, Upo is Korea’s largest untouched wetland, covering an area as ____ as 210 soccer fields.

First of all, Upo is a habitat for a number of threatened and ____ species.

To name a few, ____ is the rare gasiyeon and the ttaogi, a bird which is nearly extinct.

Furthermore, Upo prevents floods by absorbing water during the ____ season of July and August, and it supplies adequate water to local farmers during droughts.

Like Upo, there are other wetlands in the world that help the environment and ____ around them.

Let’s take a look at ____ of them.

The Camargue is a region in southern France where the Rhône River meets the Mediterranean Sea, just a few miles from the ____ of Arles.

It functions as a natural sponge, absorbing and gradually releasing surface water such as rain, ____, and floodwater.

____ ability to hold water aids in flood control.

The ____ is also an excellent place to observe more than 400 species of birds.

Due to the fact that wetlands and lakes cover 35% of the area, the ____ is an ideal place for flocks of birds to feed and cool off.

The exotic pink flamingo is one of the most famous ____ found there.

The ____ is also known historically for its white horses.

The Camargue horses are a special breed, said to be one of the world’s oldest, and they have spent thousands of years living in the ____ environment of the Camargue and adapted to its salty wetlands.

They have become powerful and strong as a result of surviving in the Camargue, where only reeds, thick grasses, and ____ are available.

If you have ever ____ a magnificent image of horses running through water, it is very likely that they are Camargue horses from this area.

The Everglades is a wetland that stretches from Lake ____ to Florida Bay.

It ____ as a “biological supermarket.”

Many birds and mammal species rely on the Everglades for ____, water, and shelter, particularly during the migration and breeding seasons.

For example, the ____ panther has flourished in the Everglades.

It was nearly ____ in 1995, with only a dozen adults estimated in the wild.

But the whole population in the ____ National Park had recovered to about 230 by 2017.

What is more, the Everglades is the only place where American crocodiles and American ____ coexist.

These animals typically inhabit different ecosystems: crocodiles live in salt water, whereas alligators live in fresh ____.

However, they are found living together where ____ water from Lake Okeechobee meets the salt water of Florida Bay.

Besides, the Everglades provides drinking water to people in Florida, with one out of every three people relying on the ____ for drinking water.

Unless the Everglades is preserved, millions of people will ____ from a shortage of drinking water.

The Sudd wetland is the ____ wetland in Africa, sustained by the flow of the White Nile from Lake Victoria in Uganda.

In the Sudd, ____ are many endangered mammal species, including African elephants and antelopes.

Additionally, one million people rely on the ____ for a living, primarily through cattle herding.

For example, during the dry season, nomadic people move deeper ____ the wetland and build seasonal homes on naturally occurring islands to feed their herds like sheep, cows, and goats and catch the abundant fish.

The name “Sudd” comes from an ____ word for “barriers,” and the wetland historically protected the people from invaders.

The Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans spent centuries searching for the starting ____ of the Nile River.

Nero, the emperor of the Roman empire, sent the military to explore the White ____ in 61 AD, but his soldiers were unable to proceed beyond the Sudd.

Wetlands, no matter where they are found, clearly ____ habitats for a variety of endangered plant and animal species, as well as humans.

Unfortunately, wetlands are currently ____ threat.

The ____, for example, is decreasing as sea levels rise due to climate change.

The Everglades used to be much larger, but due to agriculture and urban development, less than half of the ____ Everglades remains today.

The Sudd has been contaminated by oil spills from oil ____ activities.

It is estimated that 64% of the world’s ____ have disappeared.

Now that we ____ the importance of wetlands in maintaining our ecosystems, we should consider ways to live without destroying the wetlands that provide valuable benefits to animals, plants, and humans.