# The global importance of wetlands: answers and explanations

Cambridge IELTS 19, Test 3, Reading Passage 2

Source: Passage, questions and answer key from Cambridge IELTS 19, Test 3, Reading Passage 2. © Cambridge University Press & Assessment. Used for educational practice. Explanations and evidence notes are written by Testmigo.

## Answer key

| Q | Answer | Proof |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 14 | G | we recognise there's a need to provide an income for local people |
| 15 | A | half of the world's wetlands have disappeared since 1990 |
| 16 | H | Awareness of the importance of wetlands is growing |
| 17 | B | they are of considerable religious, historical and archaeological value to many communities |
| 18 | carbon | they become net carbon emitters instead of active carbon stores |
| 19 | fires | The clearance of peatlands for planting also increases the risk of forest fires |
| 20 | biodiversity | "We're seeing huge peatland forests with extremely high biodiversity value being lost for a few decades of oil palm revenues," says Silvius. |
| 21 | ditches | They dig ditches to enter the peat swamps by boat and then float the logs out the same way. |
| 22 | subsidence | in a process known as subsidence*. |
| 23 | A | it's essential that local people are involved in wetland planning and decision making |
| 24 | C | "Different governments have different attitudes," he says |
| 25 | D | have never met anybody who wanted to damage a wetland |
| 26 | B | "It can be as simple as planting a few trees per hectare to create shade and substantially change a microclimate," |

## Why these answers are right

**14. G.** In paragraph G, Silvius says 'there's a need to provide an income for local people', and McCartney adds that people will protect wetlands only if they 'value and profit from them'. Local people earning from wetlands is inhabitants continuing to benefit, so G is right.

**15. A.** Paragraph A cites the WWFN figure that 'half of the world's wetlands have disappeared since 1990'. Half is a proportion and disappeared means lost, so the information about how much has already been lost is in paragraph A.

**16. H.** McCartney says in paragraph H that 'Awareness of the importance of wetlands is growing' and that things are slowly changing. Growing awareness of importance is people beginning to appreciate their value, so H contains this idea.

The why and the trap for questions 17 onwards are free with an account on the [answers page](https://testmigo.com/ielts/reading/the-global-importance-of-wetlands/answers).

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