50 



directly or indirectly on wetlands for their survival and recovery. 



Wetlands protection is important to achieving the goals of maintaining and restoring the 

 physical, biological, and chemical integrity of our Nation's waters. Wetlands are integral to the 

 functioning of watersheds and ecosystems. For example, forested riparian wetlands along the 

 river's edge provide important sediment stabilization, habitat corridors (for aquatic and 

 terrestrial species), and water quality improvement by reducing nutrient loading into water 

 bodies. One study found a riparian forest in a predominantly agricultural watershed removed 

 approximately 80 percent of the phosphorous and 89 percent of the nitrogen from the water 

 before it entered a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay. Protection and restoration of wetlands 

 reduce nonpoint-source pollution and provide other benefits throughout watersheds, including 

 improved aquatic habitats and flood water control. 



Our realization that wetiands are so important is a relatively recent development, after we have 

 already lost over 50 percent of the wetiands that were present in the coterminous United States 

 at the time of European settlement. Information available from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

 Service shows a loss rate of 290,000 acres a year from the mid-1970's to the mid-1980's. 

 More recentiy, we believe wetland losses have declined significantiy in response to 

 implementation of the Swampbuster provision in the 1985 Farm Bill, improvements in the 

 implementation of die Clean Water Act Section 404 program, and more active State, local and 

 private wedand protection efforts. While our Nation's wetiands are clearly doing better than 

 from the 1950's to 1970's, when about 450,000 acres were lost annually, there is still a long 

 way to go to achieve the Administration's goals. 



Last August, the Administration released a comprehensive plan to improve Federal 

 wetiands policy. This plan reflects broad consensus within the Executive Branch. It was 

 developed by the Interagency Working Group with advice from a wide spectrum of 



