Abstract
Wetlands are the world's largest reservoirs of carbonaceous organic matter. They help mitigate extreme climatic events (floods and droughts), purify water and preserve biodiversity. However, 85 % of wetlands were lost in three hundred years ; they continue to disappear three times faster than forests. Since the 1970s, an additional problem has been highlighted : the number of invasive alien species in wetlands and aquatic environments has increased by 70 %. This is one of the five factors responsible for the decline in biodiversity.
According to the 2018 World Water Development Report, " working with nature, not against it, would preserve natural capital and support a circular economy " using resources efficiently but sustainably. Nature-based solutions can both prove viable and provide environmental, social and economic benefits. Recent technologies reconciling ecological solutions and valorization in sustainable chemistry will be presented. A few demonstrative examples will illustrate the value of such approaches.
