Chapter 3 



Wetland Values and the Importance 



of Wetlands to Man 



CHAPTER SUMMARY 



Some people value wetlands for their intrinsic 

 qualities. They may wish to protect wetlands simply 

 out of a desire to preserve natural areas for future 

 generations or because they are often the last areas 

 to be developed. Others value the varied and abun- 

 dant flora and fauna that may be found in wetlands, 

 and the opportunities for hunting, fishing, and 

 boating and other recreational activities. While 

 these recreational benefits can be quantified to some 

 extent, the other intrinsic values of wetlands are, 

 for the most part, intangible. For this reason, the 

 justification for protecting wetlands has often fo- 

 cused on the importance of the ecological services 

 or resource values that wetlands provide, which are 

 more scientifically and economically demonstrable 

 than intrinsic qualities. These ecological services 

 include floodpeak reduction, ground water re- 

 charge, water quality improvement, food and hab- 

 itat, food-chain support, and shoreline stabilization. 



The intrinsic values and ecological services pro- 

 vided by wetlands can vary significantly from one 



wedand to another and from one region of the coun- 

 try to another. Some wedands provide benefits that 

 primarily are local or regional in nature; other ben- 

 efits may be national or even international in scope. 

 Because of the wide variation among individual 

 wetlands, the significance of their ecological serv- 

 ices and intrinsic values must be determined on an 

 individual or regional basis. 



The dollar value of the ecological services that 

 wedands provide sometimes can be quantified. The 

 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, for instance, esti- 

 mated that the loss of the entire 8,422 acres of wet- 

 lands within the Charles River Basin, Mass., would 

 produce average annual flood damage of over $17 

 million. However, because the many intrinsic qual- 

 ities of wedands cannot be quantified, it is difficult 

 to place generally accepted dollar values on wet- 

 lands. 



ATTITUDES TOWARD WETLANDS 



The use of wetlands has become a public policy 

 issue because of conflicts between those who wish 

 to develop them and those who wish to preserve 

 them. Developers, for instance, regard wetlands as 

 prime locations for development because of their 

 typical proximity to open water. Farmers drain or 

 clear wetlands to plant crops in their rich organic 

 soil. While there also are private gains involved, 

 the creation of new jobs or the production of food 

 that results from the development of wetlands di- 

 rectly benefits society. 



On the other hand, undeveloped wedands have 

 important intrinsic qualities that are esthetically 

 pleasing and provide numerous ecological services. 



such as flood control, that benefit society. The con- 

 flict between developers and conservationists over 

 wetlands often is viewed as an issue that "involves 

 questions of public good as opposed to private gain" 

 (21). However, the issue is not simply a matter of 

 public versus private interests but of conflicting 

 public interests. 



The values associated with wetlands were not 

 always widely recognized. For example, in the 19th 

 century when a national priority was placed on set- 

 tling the country, wetlands were considered a men- 

 ace, the cause of malaria, and a hindrance to land 

 development. Through the Swamp Land Acts of 

 1849, 1850, and 1860, Congress granted to States 



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