Wetlands ecosystems are a natural source of local, regional and global significance. Historically their high level of plant and animal (especially bird) diversity is perhaps the major reason why wetland protection has become a high priority worldwide, supported by international agreements, such as Ramsar Convention and the International Convention of Biological Diversity. More recently, a number of goods and services provided specially wetland ecosystems have been identified that may even outweigh biodiversity in terms of their importance for human welfare and sustainable natural resource management.