Wetlands and Wildlife For the Future: The Clemson University James C. Kennedy Waterfowl and Wetlands Conservation Center

Wetlands in the United States have declined by more than half since European colonization, and losses continue to climb. Wetlands have long been viewed as waste areas that impede agriculture and development, mainly leading to this decline. However, wetlands’ values and ecosystem services have been quantified in recent decades, increasing wetland conservation efforts. Wetland restoration to increase waterfowl and other wetland-dependent wildlife is now commonplace. Moreover, federal policies requiring wetland mitigation to compensate for wetland losses are in place to conserve wetland ecosystems (Strager et al. 2011, Becker et al. 2022). Restored and mitigated wetlands can provide habitat for numerous species (Balcombe et al. 2005, Strain et al. 2014, Millikin et al. 2019) and essential ecosystem services (Gingerich and Anderson 2011, Gingerich et al. 2014, 2015). However, the recent Sackett versus U.S. EPA decision weakens wetland protection for some isolated wetlands (Supreme Court of the United States 2023)