Vegetation

Tropical wetlands vegetation is highly diverse and fundamental for ecosystem functioning supporting a huge associated biota including human populations. Wetland vegetation developed specific adaptations to cope with the reduction or absence of oxygen when flooded by freshwater. Over time, the riverine human populations on all continents have developed management strategies and livelihoods specifically adapted to the hydrological regimes. They use the advantages of annual flooding for agriculture, livestock, and fisheries, resulting in the development of important human cultures along rivers. Some global strategies focused on wetlands have been proposed. The Ramsar Convention stands out as a promising tool for the management and conservation of these areas. Currently, tropical wetlands of Asia, Africa, and South America are colonized by millions of people still using traditional low impact sustainable management practices. However, many threats as the growing population in the tropics, the globalization of the economy, invasive species and climate change increasingly force changes in management models which are often disadvantageous to both, the local population, and the vegetation of these environments.