80,000 acres swallowed up

The United States has lost approximately 80,000 acres of coastal wetlands between 2004 and 2009 according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Much of this loss is blamed on development and has occurred in freshwater regions. Additionally, more than 70% of the loss is from the Gulf of Mexico.  According to the EPA wetland loss in the eastern U.S. is happening at a rate double that of what is being restored. The EPA defines coastal wetlands as "salt marshes, bottomland hardwood swamps, fresh marshes, mangrove swamps, and shrubby depressions known in the southeast United States as 'pocosins.' Coastal wetlands cover about 40 million acres and make up 38 percent of the total wetland acreage in the conterminous United States. Eight-one percent of coastal wetlands in the conterminous United States are located in the Southeast." Wetlands are integral to our ecological network. They support fish and wildlife, improve water quality through filtration and protect against erosion and flooding. Wetlands serve as an absorbent sponge for inland and coastal upstream communities. Flooding events and subsequent economic impact are minimized with the protection and restoration of wetland communities.



http://www.enn.com/wildlife/article/46724