Wetlands are areas of permanent or periodic/intermittent inundation, with water that is static or flowing fresh, brackish or salt, including areas of marine water, the depth of which at low tide does not exceed 6 metres. To be classified as a wetland, the area must have one or more of the following attributes:
At least periodically, the land supports plants or animals that are adapted to and dependent on living in wet conditions for at least part of their life cycle, or
The substratum is predominantly undrained soils that are saturated, flooded or ponded long enough to develop anaerobic conditions in the upper layers, or
The substratum is not soil and is saturated with water, or covered by water at some time.
Wetlands are inherently dynamic systems that influence and are influenced by a complex range of environmental variables and undergo cycles of wetting and drying over temporal and spatial scales. Like most natural systems, no two wetlands are the same and as a result, distinguishing wetlands into meaningful, discrete types can be challenging.
Following are the different classifications of wetlands:-
Marine (coastal wetlands including rocky shore) – plants commonly found are:- Crinum pedunculatum, Isolepis inundata, Juncus kraussii, Myoporum acuminatum
