Why Restore Coastal Wetlands?
Humans have interacted with salt marshes for hundreds of years. However, only recently has society recognized the ecological and social benefits of salt marshes and other wetlands, and supported efforts to protect and restore them. It is now understood that the functions provided by wetlands – including flood storage, water quality improvement, protection from storm damage, provision of wildlife habitat, and recreational opportunities – are invaluable, and that the preservation of wetlands is more economically efficient than trying to mitigate impacts after wetlands are degraded or lost. Massachusetts has strict laws that protect wetlands and regulate development impacts, and wetland restoration is increasingly regarded as a major tool for improving the function of degraded wetlands and increasing wetland acreage. The goal of wetland restoration is to bring back wetland values and functions that have been lost due to historic human impacts. The potential wetland restoration sites ident
