Orange County is strengthening its protections for the area’s vast expanse of wetlands, delicate but critical natural areas often imperiled by pressure for new development. The updated rules, effective June 1, were two years in the making but won unanimous approval at the county board’s final meeting of 2023. Wetlands, sometimes called the earth’s kidneys because they filter pollutants from water that flows through them, account for 162,000 acres, about a quarter of the county’s area, but have shrunk at rates alarming to environmental groups. They also help prevent neighborhood flooding by abs…