摘要：Society has recently increased the value it places on the services that wetlandsprovide, including water quality improvement, flood control, wildlife habitat,and recreation. However, owners of wetlands are often unable to profit fromthese services because the benefits created are freely enjoyed by many. Thisreport examines differences between public and private incentives regardingwetlands. Federal wetland policy has shifted in recent decades—from encour-aging wetland conversion to encouraging wetland protection and restoration—inan effort to balance public and private objectives. The report assesses the needfor continued wetlands protection policies as the United States approachesachieving the goal of "no net loss" of wetlands.
关键词：Wetlands; "no net loss;" Swampbuster; conservation; restoration
