U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Wetlands Inventory

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Wetlands Inventory
Name	National Wetlands Inventory
Agency	U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Formed	1974
Jurisdiction	United States
Headquarters	Falls Church, Virginia
Parent agency	U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Wetlands Inventory.

Overview

The National Wetlands Inventory operates as a program of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service within the United States Department of the Interior, providing geospatial mapping and classification of wetlands and deepwater habitats that supports Endangered Species Act implementation, Clean Water Act administration, National Environmental Policy Act review, Land and Water Conservation Fund planning, and inventory work for agencies such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Army Corps of Engineers, and the Environmental Protection Agency. Its datasets and maps inform initiatives ranging from North American Waterfowl Management Plan actions to state-level conservation efforts by entities like the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and regional programs such as the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council, while interfacing with national inventories including the National Hydrography Dataset and the National Land Cover Database. The program coordinates with research institutions such as the Smithsonian Institution, the United States Geological Survey, and universities including University of Florida and University of Minnesota.

History and Development

Originating after discussions in the 1970s among officials from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and advocates from the National Audubon Society following environmental publicity from events like the Cuyahoga River fire and legislative responses including the Clean Water Act of 1972, the inventory formalized mapping efforts to meet needs of agencies such as the National Park Service and the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act mandates. During the 1980s and 1990s the program expanded through partnerships with the Nature Conservancy, the World Wildlife Fund, state agencies like the New York Department of Environmental Conservation, and academic partners including Louisiana State University to refine classification standards influenced by international frameworks such as the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands and the Convention on Biological Diversity. Technological transitions paralleled developments at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the U.S. Geological Survey in remote sensing, and the inventory adapted to federal geospatial standards under the Office of Management and Budget and the Federal Geographic Data Committee.

Methods and Data Products

The inventory uses aerial imagery and satellite data from platforms operated by agencies like Landsat program, Sentinel-2, and airborne photography coordinated with the National Agricultural Imagery Program to create wetland maps using classification schemes compatible with the Cowardin classification system and standards promulgated by the Federal Geographic Data Committee. Outputs include polygonal wetland boundaries, attribute tables, and metadata distributed through systems such as the National Map, the USGS National Geospatial Program, and digital services interoperable with the Geospatial Data Gateway and the Environmental Systems Research Institute platform. Field verification and quality control involve collaboration with state natural heritage programs like the Michigan Natural Features Inventory and federal labs including the USGS Wetland and Aquatic Research Center, producing products such as the Wetlands Status and Trends reports and searchable web applications integrated with the Protected Areas Database of the United States.

Applications and Uses

Stakeholders use NWI products for regulatory review by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act, habitat conservation planning for species listed under the Endangered Species Act including work on the Whooping Crane and Florida panther, wetland restoration projects funded through the North American Wetlands Conservation Act and the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and regional resilience planning for hazards addressed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration coastal programs. Conservation NGOs such as the Audubon Society, Ducks Unlimited, and the Nature Conservancy incorporate NWI layers into landscape analyses with partners including state agencies and university researchers at institutions like Oregon State University and Texas A&M University to prioritize easements, restoration, and monitoring.

Coverage and Limitations

Coverage spans the fifty states, territories including Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and key coastal zones, but temporal resolution varies by region depending on aerial photography dates, leading to patchwork update frequency influenced by funding cycles tied to appropriations by the United States Congress and interagency cost-sharing with entities like the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. Limitations include classification challenges in tidal fringe zones affected by Sea level rise, difficulties distinguishing certain wetland types in agricultural mosaics such as those in the Mississippi River Delta, and scale constraints for urban wetlands within metropolitan areas like Los Angeles, resulting in ongoing needs for integration with high-resolution lidar collections from programs such as the 3D Elevation Program.

Governance and Partnerships

Governance is administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service national office with implementation through regional offices and field stations working alongside state fish and wildlife agencies, the U.S. Geological Survey, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, conservation NGOs including the Sierra Club and the World Wildlife Fund, and international bodies like the Ramsar Secretariat for wetland stewardship. Formal partnerships and data-sharing arrangements are coordinated under interagency agreements with entities such as the Federal Geographic Data Committee and cooperative grants administered through the North American Wetlands Conservation Council.

Impact and Conservation Outcomes

NWI data have underpinned conservation outcomes including targeted restoration in the Everglades, habitat protections for migratory birds along the Pacific Flyway and Atlantic Flyway, and contributions to assessing gains and losses in reports used by the United Nations Environment Programme and national policy reviews by the Council on Environmental Quality. The inventory's datasets inform litigation and compliance in cases before the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and policy deliberations in the United States Congress, while supporting on-the-ground conservation delivered by groups such as The Nature Conservancy and state agencies that secure wetland easements and implement adaptive management for climate resilience.

Category:Wetlands conservation