Wetlands in nature play a great role as cleanser for polluted water. They support a most diverse community of life forms. This diversity of physical and chemical niches present in wetlands results in a continuum of  life forms from the smallest viruses to the largest trees. This biological diversity creates inter-specific interactions, resulting in greater diversity, more complete utilization of energy inflows and ultimately to the emergent properties of the wetland ecosystem.

Aquatic plants have adapted themselves for life under submerged conditions, i.e. they are able through their arenchyma (hollow structured tissue) to bring oxygen into otherwise anaerobic places. With that they are able to support aerobic microorganism communities, that feed on the nutrients and pollutants in the water and help to selectively destroy pathogenic bacteria. Certain plants exude chemicals, that crack complicated chemical structures of pollutants into the simple building blocks of nature, that are able to be incorporated within the cell structures of plants or dealt with appropriately otherwise.

Numerous researchers mainly in Europe and North America have over the last few decades studied natural wetlands and successively used the principles to construct wetlands for the treatment of the most diverse effluents: domestic, industrial and agricultural.
Thousands of constructed wetlands over the globe treat "waste" waters from family units to towns of 120'000 people, factory waste from breweries, tanneries, mines etc. to a very high final effluent quality, better than any traditional sewage work can achieve.
The largest constructed wetland to date - 3000 ha - treats agricultural run off from maize and cotton farms to protect the sensitive natural swamp lands of the Florida Keys.

Constructed wetlands have the following advantages:
* Flexible design, according to specific needs.
* Attractive unimposing landscape feature.
* Lower cost than conventional systems.
* Recycled water can be used for irrigation - you use your water at least twice!
* No putrid smells.
* Works in all climates all year round.
* Minimal or no extra energy input.
* Minimal maintenance (from an unskilled person).
* Attracts  wildlife - birds amphibians etc.
* Educationally stimulating.
* And many more...

LINDROS offers design and installation of constructed wetlands, in conjunction with Flow forms, in Southern Africa.