VI 



EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 



As a means to further promote the conservation of our Nation's wetlands, 

 Congress enacted the Emergency Wetlands Resources Act (Act) of 1986 

 (Public Law 99-645). Under the provisions of the Act, Congress found that 

 wetlands are nationally significant resources that contribute to our 

 economy, food supply, water supply and quality, flood control, and fish, 

 wildlife and plant resources. However, these resources have been signi- 

 ficantly affected by human land and water use activities, and recognition 

 of the value of wetlands has developed slowly. FWS estimates that less 

 than 45 percent of the original wetlands in the conterminous United States 

 remain. Wetlands losses are still continuing, perhaps at a level as high 

 as 450,000 acres annually. 



Under the Act the Department of the Interior is directed by Congress to 

 develop a National Wetlands Priority Conservation Plan that identifies 

 the locations and types of wetlands, and interests in wetlands, that should 

 receive priority attention for wetland acquisition projects by Federal and 

 State agencies using Land and Water Conservation Fund appropriations. 

 The Department of the Interior has been given authority to acquire 

 wetlands based on broad consideration of their value. The primary 

 purpose of the National Wetlands Priority Conservation Plan is to assist 

 decisionmakers in focusing their acquisition efforts on the more 

 important, scarce and vulnerable wetlands in the Nation; however, it also 

 can be used by the private sector and local. State and Federal agencies to 

 identify priority wetlands warranting protection through measures not 

 requiring land acquisition. 



The Fish and Wildlife Service has prepared this National Wetlands 

 Priority Conservation Plan for the Department of the Interior. The 

 National Wetlands Priority Conservation Plan provides a planning 

 framework, criteria and guidance intended to meet the requirements of 

 section 301 of the Emergency Wetlands Resources Act. Criteria to be 

 considered in determining acquisition priorities include functions and 

 values of wetlands, historic wetland losses and threat of future wetland 

 losses. In general, wetlands given priority consideration for acquisition 

 will be those that provide a high degree of public benefits, that are 

 representative of rare or declining wetland types within an ecoregion, 

 and that are subject to identifiable threat of loss or degradation. 

 Implementation of the National Wetlands Priority Conservation Plan 

 will result in development of plans that list wetland sites warranting 

 priority consideration for Federal and State acquisition. Wetlands 

 assessment threshold criteria have been developed to assist users of the 

 National Wetlands Priority Conservation Plan in identifying wetland 

 sites that qualify for such priority. 



