Wetlands in Peril

The Union of Concerned Scientists reports that industrial agriculture is the leading cause of wetland loss over the last 250 years, which increases flood risks and releases stored carbon. In the Upper Midwest, 30 million acres of wetlands provide approximately $23 billion in annual residential flood mitigation benefits, with long-term value estimated between $323 billion and $754 billion. The document urges the US government to use the upcoming farm bill to increase funding for USDA conservation programs, such as the Conservation Reserve Program and Wetland Reserve Easements, to protect these ecosystems.

• Industrial agriculture is the most significant factor in wetland loss over the past 250 years, with wetlands often drained for crop fields and livestock pastures or impaired by agricultural runoff, which the US Environmental Protection Agency identifies as a leading cause of impairment.
• Wetlands serve as critical nature-based solutions for climate change by sequestering over 30 percent of the Earth's soil-stored carbon despite covering only 6 percent of the surface; however, their destruction releases methane, carbon dioxide, and nitrous oxide.
• In the Upper Midwest, 30,368,735 acres of wetlands provide nearly $23 billion in annual residential flood mitigation benefits, with long-term benefits estimated between $323 billion and $754 billion.
• The document recommends that the next farm bill increase the acreage cap of the Conservation Reserve Program (including the Farmable Wetlands Program), boost funding for Wetland Reserve Easements in the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program, and increase funding for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program and the Conservation Stewardship Program.

APA

Woods, S. (2024). Wetlands in Peril. Union of Concerned Scientists. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2024-12/wetlands-executive-summary.pdf

Chicago

Woods, Stacy. Wetlands in Peril. Union of Concerned Scientists, 2024. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2024-12/wetlands-executive-summary.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Woods |first1=Stacy |title=Wetlands in Peril |publisher=Union of Concerned Scientists |date=December 2024 |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2024-12/wetlands-executive-summary.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{woods2024wetlands, author = {Woods, Stacy}, title = {{Wetlands in Peril}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2024}, month = dec, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2024-12/wetlands-executive-summary.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }