The links between wetlands and hydrogeomorphology, classification systems of fluvial wetlands, the hydrogeomorphologic environmental role of fluvial wetlands, and the global environmental challenges they face are reviewed and discussed.

Fluvial wetlands can be related to fluvial typologies. The major fluvial wetlands on Earth are floodplains in axial anabranching fluvial rivers, megafans and fluvial avulsion systems. Axial meandering rivers can create and sustain significant wetlands. While they can be relevant at the local or regional scales, braided rivers are irrelevant regarding fluvial wetlands’ global distribution and coverage.

Fluvial wetlands are geomorphic systems that act as natural sediment traps. Large axial and megafans are among the most significant continental sediment sinks.

Hydrogeomorphology has been relegated as an accessory discipline in the study and classification of river wetlands. We echo the claim that to understand the genesis, functioning, and evolution of fluvial wetlands, incorporating hydrophysical processes, geospatial analysis, and geomorphologic time scales in wetland research and classification is not just desirable but essential.