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The typical human mindset has been detrimental to salt marshes. For convenience sake,
many rash measures have been taken that have destroyed the marsh ecology. First, in an
attempt to decrease the number of mosquitoes in some areas, salt marshes have been
drained. The thought was that marshes are common breeding grounds for mosquitoes, so
eliminating their habitat would eliminate the mosquitoes themselves. Another way humans
degrade salt marshes is to use them as dumps. When deciding upon places to put waste,
people chose salt marshes because they are commonly looked upon with distaste. Many humans
would rather destroy an important ecosystem that is not appealing to the eye than preserve
the rare ecosystem and dump trash in a more aesthetically pleasing area. Over hunting has
affected the salt marsh ecosystems as well. Because a variety of waterfowl reside in salt
marshes, they are ideal location for hunting. Too many people have taken advantage of
the stock of birds that marshes house and have disrupted the natural life cycle. Lastly
and most damagingly, some salt marshes have been filled and turned into housing sites.
Since mankind has continued to grow in numbers, people have been forced to find new places
to live. Unfortunately, some of the easiest places to turn into human habitat are salt
marshes because they simply need to be filled in with dirt. That is how some marshes have
recently been obliterated.
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