The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Wetlands Inventory Program produces decadal Wetlands Status and Trends reports to Congress. These reports describe the extent of wetland and deepwater habitats within the conterminous U.S., as well as change in their area over time. This year the Service released our national 2009-2019 Wetlands Status and Trends Report, the 6th in a series of congressionally mandated reports spanning nearly 70 years.
The report found that net wetland loss increased by 50% since 2009 with vegetated wetlands, like marshes and swamps, being disproportionately impacted. These wetlands are disappearing so quickly that 670,000 acres were lost between 2009 and 2019, an area greater than the land extent of Rhode Island.
These losses lead to the reduced health, safety, and prosperity of all Americans, as well as the decline of commercially, culturally, and recreationally valuable species.
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