Assessing Wetland Restoration Practices on Southern Agricultural Lands: The Wetlands Reserve Program in the Southeastern Coastal Plain

摘要

Wetlands provide significant ecosystem services that include floodwater storage, water quality improvement, biodiversity support, and wildlife habitat. Under U.S. Farm Bill programs, numerous defined conservation practices may be installed to reduce the impacts of agriculture on environmental quality. Certain practices are aimed specifically at maintaining or restoring wetland ecosystem services. The Wetlands National Component of the NRCS Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP-Wetlands) is conducting region based studies to assess and model the ecological benefits of such wetland practices. Wetland restoration, a core practice applied mainly under the Wetlands Reserve or Conservation Reserve Programs, has received considerable study in agriculture dominated areas such as the Northern Prairie Pothole (PPR) and Mississippi Alluvial Valley (MAV) regions. However, in the forest dominated Southeastern Piedmont-Coastal Plain region, information on the nature and outcomes of Farm Bill program wetland restorations was found to be scarce or nonexistent. This study establishes a baseline foundation for ecosystem services assessment by describing the key characteristics of wetland restoration projects on Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) lands in three states (South Carolina, Georgia, Mississippi) spanning the Southeastern Piedmont and Coastal Plain. Following from a preliminary report on South Carolina projects, this final report summarizes the regionwide findings to: (1) identify the wetland hydrogeomorphic (HGM) types being restored, (2) document the restoration practices used and whether the practices establish original or modified HGM functions/services, and (3) determine if restored sites show positive wetland condition indicators as a measure of restoration success. Based on a robust sample of 109 projects enrolled in the WRP from 1996 to 2004, this survey provides the first comprehensive picture of WRP restorations in the Southeast region.