The latest report card on how the nation has done in protecting wetlands isn’t one any kid would want to show to their parents — with maybe a big “D” on the card.
Roughly 670,000 acres of salt marshes, swamps and other wetlands disappeared in the lower 48 states in the decade ending in 2019. Mandated by Congress, the recently released Wetlands Status and Trends report is the sixth such document since 1954. It is published by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The loss of acreage of wetlands happened at a much higher rate than in the past, increasing by 50% since the turn of the century, or about 21,000 acres more per year.
The wetlands that do remain are changing to mudflats and ponds that have less vegetation and are less valuable.
Most of the wetland losses in the mid-20th century happened because of farm drainage. Improved farm drainage continues to create losses, but since the mid 1980s wetland loss has been tied increasingly to rural and urban development as well as logging.
The growing loss is obviously a threat to birds, fish, reptiles, bugs and other animals that rely on the rich wetland diversity.
But U.S. Department of Interior Secretary Deb Haaland noted in her report to Congress that the loss has severe threats to humans.
The loss of wetlands reduces the availability of clean water, increases coastal erosion and wildfires and reduces protections against flooding.
One thing the report points out is that our thinking about reducing wetland loss has to change.
One big problem has been that as areas are developed, wetlands that are removed are usually replaced with much less valuable open-water ponds. States, counties and cities need to build on efforts to ensure that when development destroys wetlands, they are replaced with high-quality wetlands, not just ponds.
Minnesota is one of the richest states for wetlands and it has suffered significant losses.
But Minnesotans should be proud of efforts that have been made over many decades to protect our waters. States such as the Dakotas have little to no protection, while Minnesota leaders from both political parties have recognized the value of clean water, bogs, marshes and other types of wetlands.
Still, the state and the nation must do better to protect what we have left.