Wetlands are often viewed as wasteland: places to be drained and converted for development and other land uses. Since 1900 more than 64% of wetlands have been lost through drainage and conversion, and much of the rest have been degraded. Nature that depends on freshwater is in a major decline. As wetlands are lost, people are deprived of their well-being too. As the demand for water, land and food increases and climate change intensifies, wetlands are coming under pressure.