A swamp is a land area characterized by excessive moisture, high acidity, low soil fertility and groundwater outflow to the surface. Most often, they are formed after forest fires, which destroyed all trees, as well as as a result of waterlogging of the soil, overgrowing of reservoirs and in places where forests are thoughtlessly cut down. Subsoil water, which was evaporated by the foliage of the trees, begins to show through to the surface and swamp the area. Swamps are of great national economic importance, and it is simply necessary to protect them.
Swamps and wetlands have a great variety of life forms, an abundance of plants and animals. These are rich hunting grounds. Spread over large areas, the bogs are nesting places for many waterfowl and are home to rare endangered species of animals and birds listed in the Red Book. If you destroy the swamp, not only the animals that live on them will suffer, but also those that live nearby. For many of them, the swamp serves as a shelter. The remains of dead plants, decomposing at the bottom without access to air, turn into peat. It is used as fertilizer in the fields, used in construction. It is a raw material for the pulp and paper industry. Strong fabrics are made from peat, bitumen, various waxes and medicines are made. Swampy lands are rich in large reserves of economically valuable berries: cranberries, lingonberries, blueberries, blueberries and cloudberries. Plants with medicinal properties grow on peat bogs: wild rosemary, watch, sphagnum mosses and sundews. Swamps intensively evaporate moisture, thus increasing the humidity of the air, changing its temperature, softening the climate of the surrounding area. The natural balance of the area depends on them. Every year, 1 hectare of swamps absorbs a very large amount of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and releases oxygen. This is several times more than 1 hectare of forest is capable of processing. Stagnant swamps regulate the flow of rivers and streams. Keeping in themselves huge reserves of moisture, they maintain the water level of many rivers, affect the change in the groundwater of the adjacent territory and distribute the river runoff. Swamps purify water from dissolved chemical compounds and solid particles. They are natural filters for polluted water, attract and absorb dust particles in the air. Large swamps are able to stop forest fires.
