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Investing IN Wetlands 



North American Wetlands Partnership 



WEiLANDs are one of the 

 planets most produc- 

 tive habitats. Roughly 

 80 percent of our 

 nations commercial fish spawn and 

 breed in coastal wetlands; more than 40 

 percent of all endangered species need 

 wetlands to survive; and hundreds of 

 migratory bird species, including half of 

 the Neotropical migrants, depend on 

 U.S. wetland habitats. These natural 

 systems also absorb and store floodwa- 

 ters, and they recharge, purify, and 

 protea our drinking water supplies. 

 Nevertheless, we have historically 

 misunderstood their value and regarded 

 them as wastelands. We destroyed about 

 half (more than 100 million acres) of our 

 nation's wetlands by filling, draining, 

 polluting, channeling, and clearing. 

 Today, however, our understanding and 

 attitude toward wetlands have changed, 

 resulting in legislation and programs for 

 their protection. 



The 1972 Clean Water Act, the Farm 

 Security Act of 1985 and 1990; the 1986 

 Emergency Wetlands Resources Act; the 

 1990 Food, Agriculture, Conservation, 

 and Trade Aa-. and the North American 

 Wetland Conservation Act of 1989 each 

 contain provisions to protect these 

 imperiled habitats and ecosystems. Also, 

 in 1986. the United States and Canada 

 signed the far-reaching North American 

 Waterfowl Management Plan (NAWMP). 

 which committed the two nations to a 

 long- term program for assuring the 

 survival of migratory birds anci their 

 habitats — primarily wetlands. Mexico 

 joined this international effort in 1988. 



The North American Waterfowl 

 Management Plan gave the National Fish 

 and Wildlife Foundation an opportunity 

 to bring together various partners to 

 work on a common conservation goal. 

 In concert with the International Asso- 

 ciation of Fish and Wildlife Agencies 

 (lAFWA) and Ducks Unlimited, Inc.. the 

 Foundation initiated efforts to raise and 

 transfer funds to Canada for a wetlands 



preservation venture known as the 

 Canadian "Step" program. 



Between 1988 and 1992, the Founda- 

 tion, lAFWA, Wildlife Habitat Canada, 

 and Ducks Unlimited with their Cana- 

 dian partners secured more than $40 

 million for three Canadian "Step" 

 programs. As a result, more than 500.000 

 acres of wildlife habitat — primarily 

 wetlands — were acquired, improved, 

 restored, and^'or enhanced in the United 

 States and Canada. Because of these 

 efforts, the Foundation was instrumental 



One o/Ihe planet's most productive 

 ecosystems, wetlands are essential 

 habitat for waterfowl and other wildlife. 



in launching NAWMP and making it 

 work "on the ground." With continued 

 support NAWMP is destined to become 

 an international success story. 



The Foundation's wetland activities 

 are not limited to the Canadian "Step " 

 programs. Since 1987, working in the 

 continental United States with state 

 agencies, The Nature Conservancy, The 



