How Does EPA Keep Track of the Status and Trends of Wetlands in the US?

Wetlands Status and Trends Reports: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) publishes a variety of national, state and regional status and trends reports, including the latest national report, Status and Trends of Wetlands in the Conterminous United States 2009 to 2019. The purpose of the reports is to track and estimate the status and trends of wetland extent in the United States. Coastal wetland acreage trends are documented in the Status and Trends of Wetlands in the Coastal Watersheds of the Conterminous United States report by the FWS and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Marine Fisheries Service. Prairie wetland acreage trends are documented in the Status and Trends of Prairie Wetlands in the United States 1997 to 2009 report.

National Resources Inventory: The NRI is conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service, in cooperation with the Iowa State University Statistical Laboratory. The NRI is a statistical survey of land use and natural resource conditions and trends on U.S. non-Federal lands, including wetlands. The latest report is the 2017 NRI Summary Report (PDF) (211 pp, 10.8 MB, About PDF).

National Wetland Condition Assessment: EPA and its partners will soon release the results of the 2021 National Wetland Condition Assessment. The first and second national survey on the condition of the nation's wetlands can be found at 2011 National Wetland Condition Report and 2016 National Wetland Condition Report. The survey is designed to provide regional and national estimates of the ecological integrity and biological condition of wetlands. The process of designing and conducting the survey is also intended to help build state and tribal capacity to monitor and analyze wetland condition while promoting collaboration across jurisdictional boundaries. The next sampling period will occur in 2026.