The time is right to invest in modernizing our most comprehensive national map of wetlands, the National Wetlands Inventory (NWI). An increase in FY23 funding to $7.47 million, as envisioned by the House, combined with more innovative and cost-efficient mapping methods would accelerate needed updates to decades-old NWI data that is widely used for planning across sectors.
Wetlands are important assets for communities and ecosystems. They offer natural flood protection to cities and towns across the country and are rich in biodiversity, including more than one-third of the United States’ threatened and endangered species. Knowing their location enables planning and mitigation efforts of all kinds, for example, permitting and site selection in the energy and transportation sectors. For decades the NWI, managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, has been a crucial source of information available to the public on the location of wetlands. In fact, the NWI website is viewed about 1 million times annually and last year NWI data was downloaded over 40,000 times.
Despite the important roles it plays in permitting, planning, and land and wildlife management contexts, the NWI has not been comprehensively updated for many years. As shown in the map below, much of the NWI map layers actually date back to the 1970s and 1980s, leaving much of the country with an outdated impression of where wetlands exist in their watersheds and communities. This can have real consequences for decision-makers throughout the country. For example, these data are important in the planning stages for infrastructure development projects, such as renewable energy projects and power lines. Bad data can mean added costs of field surveys, or finding out at a late stage that a project will impact more aquatic resources than was anticipated.
It’s Time to Invest in a Modern Map of our Nation's Wetlands — Environmental Policy Innovation Center
Wetlands are important assets for communities and ecosystems. They offer natural flood protection to cities and towns across the country and are rich in biodiversity, including more than one-third of the United States’ threatened and endangered species. Knowing their location enables planning and mitigation efforts of all kinds, for example, permitting and site selection in the energy and transportation sectors. For decades the NWI, managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, has been a crucial source of information available to the public on the location of wetlands. In fact, the NWI website is viewed about 1 million times annually and last year NWI data was downloaded over 40,000 times.
Despite the important roles it plays in permitting, planning, and land and wildlife management contexts, the NWI has not been comprehensively updated for many years. As shown in the map below, much of the NWI map layers actually date back to the 1970s and 1980s, leaving much of the country with an outdated impression of where wetlands exist in their watersheds and communities. This can have real consequences for decision-makers throughout the country. For example, these data are important in the planning stages for infrastructure development projects, such as renewable energy projects and power lines. Bad data can mean added costs of field surveys, or finding out at a late stage that a project will impact more aquatic resources than was anticipated.
It’s Time to Invest in a Modern Map of our Nation's Wetlands — Environmental Policy Innovation Center