Wetlands and Agriculture: Private Interests and Public Benefits

by Ralph Heimlich, Keith Wiebe , Roger Claassen, Dwight Gadsby, and Robert House

Society has recently increased the value it places on the services that wetlands provide, including water quality improvements, flood control, wildlife habitat, and recreation. However, owners of wetlands are often unable to profit from these services because the benefits created are freely enjoyed by many. This report examines differences between public and private incentives regarding wetlands. Federal wetland policy has shifted in recent decades--from encouraging wetland conversion to encouraging wetland protection and restoration--in an effort to balance public and private objectives. The report assesses the need for continued wetlands protection policies as the United States approaches achieving the goal of no net loss of wetlands.

Keywords: wetlands, no net loss, Swampbuster, conservation, restoration

In this publication...

• Entire Report
• Frontmatter (Abstract, Table of Contents, List of Tables and Figures, Summary)
• Introduction
• Wetland Economies
• What Is a Wetland?
• Wetland Functions: Physical Values and Economic Values
• Wetland Status and Trends, Settlement to 1992
• Federal Wetland Policies and National Trends
• Wetland Future: Ongoing and Emerging Issues in Wetland Policy
• Conclusions
• Appendix I--Valuation Studies Summary
• Appendix II--Wetland Trend Data, Methods, and Results
• Appendix III--Estimating Wetland Conversion for Agriculture in the Absence of Swampbuster and Section 404 of the Clean Water Act
• References
• Index