"Half of the world's wetlands were lost during the course of the twentieth century, mostly in the last decades. Up to two thirds of those in Europe and North America have been destroyed, and 85 percent of those remaining in Asia are threatened. These figures include inland wetlands as well as coastal ones, but these are usually important for watersheds, rivers and thus, ultimately, for coasts and seas."
GESAMP70:14
GESAMP (IMO/FAO/UNESCO-IOC/WMO/WHO/IAEA/UN/UNEP Joint Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Environmental Protection). 2001. A sea of troubles. Rep. Stud. GESAMP No. 70, 35 pp. ISBN 82-7701-010-9.