54 



THE FUTURE OF AMERICA'S 

 WETLANDS 



While predicting the future of the Nation's wetlands is 

 extremely difficult and complex, an examination of re- 

 cent trends in population, agriculture, and wetland pro- 

 tection provides insight into what can be expected. 

 Population growth and distribution and agricultural de- 

 velopment greatly affect land-use patterns which impact 

 wetlands. Government's wetland protection efforts are 

 key to preserving wetland functions and values for to- 

 day's public and for future generations. 



The U.S. population is growing by 1.7 million each 

 year. In 1976, nearly 53% of Americans lived within 50 

 miles of a major coast. Population density in the coastal 

 zone was 6 times that of the rest of the country (Council of 

 Environmental Quality 1981). Pressures to develop es- 

 tuarine and palustrine wetlands in coastal areas will re- 

 main intense, despite the existence of laws to protect 

 estuarine wetlands. As adjacent upland becomes devel- 

 oped, public managers will be greatly challenged to pro- 

 tect wetlands from future development. 



A recent population shift from industrialized Northeas- 

 tern and North-Central states to the sunbelt states of the 

 Southeast and Southwest will increase urban and industri- 

 al development pressures on wetlands in these latter re- 

 gions. This new growth will also heighten competition 

 for water between agricultural and non-agricultural users, 

 with fish and wildlife probably being the biggest losers. 

 Since 1970, non-metropolitan areas have grown faster 

 than metropolitan areas. Suburban counties have grown 

 most rapidly, threatening remaining wetlands with urban 

 development. Since most states do not have wetland pro- 

 tection laws. Federal regulation through the Clean Water 

 Act is the key means to protecting these wetlands. 



Increases in the world's population are likely to contin- 

 ue to have significant impacts on America's wetlands 

 through agriculture. In the 1970's. U.S. export of grains 

 and soybeans accelerated to help meet the worldwide rise 

 in demand for food. This increased demand for U.S. farm 

 products reversed a 40 year trend of declining cropland 

 use (National Research Council 1982). It also led to con- 

 version of vast acreages of bottomland forested wetlands 

 to cropland, especially in the Mississippi Alluvial Plain. 

 Increased demand for U.S. food will add more pressure to 

 drain wetlands. Without adequate regulations, many pa- 

 lustrine wetlands will be converted to cropland in the near 

 future. 



Other recent agricultural trends likely to increase wet- 

 land conversion include: 



1. Increasing costs of production and declining net 

 returns per unit of product force farmers to increase 

 production. 



2. Conversion of prime agricultural land to non-agri- 

 cultural uses (e.g. , urban) will lead to conversion of 



rangeland, pasture and wetlands to cropland. 



3 . Increasing irrigation will lower water tables and dry 

 up wetlands, especially in the West. 



Agriculture will also continue to play a major role in 

 degrading water quality, tish and wildlife habitat, and the 

 quality of wetlands, unless improved management tech- 

 niques are employed. About 68% of water pollution in the 

 U.S. is caused by agriculture, with soil erosion from 

 cropland being the single greatest contributor to stream 

 sediment (National Research Council 1982). Before con- 

 sidering conversion of wetlands and other lands to agri- 

 cultural uses, improved soil management practices 

 should be employed on existing farmland. 



Wetland protection in the U.S. currently is accom- 

 plished by two primary techniques: I ) acquisition of pri- 

 ority wetlands and 2) regulation of wetland uses. Both 

 Federal and state governments are involved to varying 

 degrees in wetland acquisition and regulation. The use of 

 tax incentives to encourage preservation of wetlands by 

 landowners, although not widely used to date, represents 

 a potentially valuable tool for protecting wetlands. The 

 removal of government subsidies which encourage wet- 

 land destruction would also benefit wetlands greatly. 



Acquisition of wetlands to preserve fish and wildlife 

 values is ongoing at both Federal and state levels. The 

 two key Federal programs are the Service's National 

 Wildlife Refuge System and the Soil Conservation Ser- 

 vice's Water Bank Program. The Service's acquisition 

 efforts focus on wetlands important to migratory birds, 

 especially waterfowl breeding and overwintering 

 grounds. Wetlands are protected by direct purchase or by 

 acquiring conservation easements which prevent wet- 

 lands from being drained, burned, leveled, or filled (Fig- 

 ure 49). The Migratory Bird Conservation Act of 1929. 

 the Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp Act 

 of 1934. and the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act 

 provide the authority and/or funds to purchase wetlands. 

 The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act set aside vast 

 wetland acreages in Alaska as National Wildlife Refuges. 

 The Service presently controls nearly 32 million acres of 

 palustrine wetlands and about 2 million acres of estuarine 

 wetlands. Most of this acreage (28 million palustrine 

 acres and 1 million estuarine acres) is in Alaska. The Soil 

 Conservation Service's Water Bank Program also empha- 

 sizes waterfowl habitat acquisition. Through this pro- 

 gram, participating landowners receive annual payments 

 over a 10-year period for preserving wetlands for water- 

 fowl nesting and breeding. State fish and game agencies 

 are also active in wetland acquisition as part of fish and 

 wildlife management areas. Acquisition, although espe- 

 cially useful for preserving priority wetlands of a particu- 

 lar value, cannot be expected to provide protection for all 

 of the Nation's important wetlands. Wetland regulations 

 at the Federal and state levels are vital to preserving 

 America's wetlands and saving the public values they 

 provide. 



