Garone, P. 2011. The Fall and Rise of the Wetlands of California's Great Central Valley

摘要

In the nineteenth century United States, wetlands were enemy number one. In the federal Swamplands Act of 1850 and in a century of state legislation, governments subsidized the destruction of swamps, marshes and mires. They were so successful in California that by 1980 the state had lost approximately 91 % of its original wetlands, almost twice the percentage for the nation as a whole (2). Wetlands are now widely seen as providing immense economic and ecological benefits, from storing carbon and buffering storm surges to purifying wastewater and slowing floodwaters. How the wetlands of California's Central Valley fell, and then rose again, is the story told in this disturbing, compelling and ultimately hopeful history. In this essential reading for wetlands scientists and land managers, historian Philip Garone traces the dramatic shift in attitudes toward wetlands since the 19th century and in land management practices since the early 20th century.