4 • Wetlands: Their Use and Regulation 



tionwide by about 50 percent, or 50,000 acres of 

 wetlands per year, primarily through project mod- 

 ifications. Because most activities that occur in 

 coastal wetlands are regulated by the Corps and/or 

 State wetland programs, coastal wetlands are 

 reasonably well protected. However, many ac- 

 tivities, such as excavation and traditional clear- 

 ing and drainage for farming and other uses, are 

 not regulated by either the Corps or by most State 

 wetland programs. These activities were responsi- 

 ble for the vast majority of past conversions, espe- 

 cially in inland areas, where 95 percent of the Na- 

 tion's wetlands are located. Inland, freshwater 

 wetlands are generally poorly protected. 



The current rates of wetland loss are not likely 

 to have catastrophic enviromental impacts in the 

 next few years, but the continued incremental con- 

 version of wedands, especially in certain inland re- 

 gions of the country, could have significant adverse 

 ecological effects over the next few decades. To ad- 

 dress this situation, the Federal Government could 

 play an important role in integrating ongoing ef- 

 forts to manage the Nation's wetlands. 



Over the next decade existing wedand programs 

 can be integrated in a few successive steps. First, 

 the Federal Government could complete its ongo- 

 ing mapping of wetlands; high priority could be 

 assigned to those areas where development pres- 

 sures are high. Next, the wetlands in different 

 regions of the country could be categorized accord- 

 ing to their relative values. This would enable ex- 

 isting wetland programs to be tailored in a consist- 

 ent and integrated manner to the broad categories 

 of wetlands and to prospective development activ- 

 ities. If deemed necessary, the Government could 

 broaden the scope of different wetland programs 

 (e.g., regulation, acquisition, leasing, etc.) to 

 include the full range of wedand values, rather than 

 continuing to focus on individual values, such as 

 wildlife habitat. By taking these steps, higher value 

 wetlands would receive more protection than wet- 

 lands of lower value. Developers also would have 

 prior knowledge about standards and requirements 

 for converting specific wetland areas, thus simpli- 

 fying the regulatory process. 



For such an integrated approach to wetlands 

 management, further efforts also would be needed 

 to reduce uncertainties about: recent wetland 

 trends, the ecological significance of additional 



wetland conversions, and the effect of major pol- 

 icies and programs on wetlands use. A detailed 

 work plan developed by an interagency working 

 group would help to ensure that all required activ- 

 ities are accomplished in a timely manner. 



Finally, while this plan is being developed. Con- 

 gress may wish to provide additional protection for 

 wedands, especially higher value wedands that may 

 be subject to agricultural conversion. This could 

 be done through acquisition or easements from the 

 Department of the Interior's Fish and Wildlife Serv- 

 ice, or through leases from the Department of Agri- 

 culture's (USDA) Water Bank Program. All of 

 these options can provide comparable levels of pro- 

 tection. For a given level of funding, many more 

 wetlands can be protected with leases than with 

 easements or acquisition; however, leases only pro- 

 vide short-term protection. 



During the course of this study, data were col- 

 lected from the scientific literature. Government 

 reports, and responses to questionnaires about wet- 

 lands use from 37 out of 38 Corps districts, from 

 48 States, and from 1 1 out of 20 trade associations 

 surveyed. The Office of Technology Assessment 

 (OTA) also conducted case studies of wetland 

 trends in 13 States and minor studies in 8 States,* 

 and interviewed many Federal and State person- 

 nel and industry representatives. Because agricul- 

 tural activities were responsible for the vast majority 

 of past wetland conversions, agricultural policies 

 were surveyed in somewhat greater detail than were 

 most other Federal policies. 



As a result of its studies, OTA has identified 

 three issues related to wedands management. First, 

 should Federal involvement in protecting wedands 

 be increased or decreased? Second, should the Fed- 

 eral Government improve its policymaking capabil- 

 ity through a systematic collection and analysis of 

 additional information about wetlands? Finally, 

 should the Federal Government develop a more in- 

 tegrated approach for managing the use of wet- 

 lands? More detailed analyses of the technical and 

 institutional information that relates to these policy 

 options are presented in later chapters of this report. 



'Case studies were conducted for Alaska, California, Florida, Loui- 

 siana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Jersey, North Car- 

 olina, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Washington. 

 Minor studies were conducted in Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Mis- 

 sissippi, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Texas, and Vermont. 



