Which challenge do wetlands face due to urbanization?

Wetlands are vital ecosystems that provide numerous services, including water filtration, wildlife habitat, and flood control. Urbanization presents significant challenges to these valuable environments, primarily through pollution runoff and habitat loss.

As cities expand, impervious surfaces such as roads, buildings, and parking lots increase, which can lead to more stormwater runoff. This runoff often contains pollutants like heavy metals, nutrients, and sediment that enter wetland areas, degrading water quality and disrupting the delicate ecological balance. Furthermore, urban development can encroach upon wetland areas, leading to direct habitat loss as these regions are filled in or transformed into urban landscapes, significantly reducing their size and the biodiversity they can support.

The other options do not accurately depict the primary challenges wetlands face due to urbanization. Increased biodiversity and habitat expansion would be contrary to the effects of urban encroachment, while a reduction in water recreational activities does not encompass the more critical environmental issues at hand. Similarly, pouring clean water into these systems does not address the pollution and habitat loss caused by urban development.