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A new study found that the world has lost about 20 percent of its natural wetlands since 1700, showing that previous loss estimates may have been largely overblown. Wetlands -- among the world's most threatened ecosystems -- include marshes, bogs, ponds and peatlands, are biodiversity hotspots and key sources of water purification, groundwater recharge and carbon storage. New research shows that 21 percent of the world's inland wetlands were destroyed between 1700 and 2020, about 3.4 million square kilometres (1.3 million square miles) -- equivalent to about two percent of the earth's land surface area. The greatest loss has historically been seen in Europe, the United States and China, said the study published in Nature.