Status and Trends of Wetlands in the Conterminous United States 1986 to 1997

This report presents the most comprehensive, technically advanced, and contemporary effort to track wetlands status and trends on a national scale. Its value has been enhanced by the multi-agency involvement in the study’s design, in data collection, and in the peer review of the findings. There is unprecedented recognition of wetland issues at all levels of government and in the private sector. Some readers will use this information to gain insights on the effectiveness of wetland protection measures during the past decade; others will look for opportunities to stem wetland losses and restore wetland acreage and functions in a continuing effort to achieve our resource conservation objectives. By assessing our Nation’s progress in attaining wetland policy objectives, this report will serve as an important tool for conserving wetlands and their ecological functions and values in the 21st Century.