National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition blog August 23, 2011

On Monday, August 22, USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) released a new publication highlighting the success of the Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) over its 20-year history.

The Wetlands Reserve Program - According to the report, more than half of all wetland acres in the continental United States have been lost.  In some states, this number is as high as 90 percent.  Given that 70 percent of wetlands are on private lands, farmers and other private landowners play a central role in conserving those that remain. The WRP provides this opportunity.  Over the program’s 20 years, more than 11,000 private landowners have enrolled 2.3 million acres in the WRP.  As the report states, “the voluntary nature of WRP allows effective integration of wetland restoration on working landscapes, providing benefits to farmers and ranchers who enroll in the program, as well as benefits to the local and rural communities where the wetlands exist.”  for full blog post, click here.