Lewis Environmental Services

LESSONS LEARNED ABOUT WETLAND RESTORATION

A paper entitled "Lessons Learned from Five Decades of Wetland Restoration and Creation in North America" was presented at The Ecological Basis of Restoration of Wetlands in the Mediterranean Basin, a training course at the Hispanoamerica University of La Rabida (Huelva), Spain, 7-11 June 1993. Roy R. Lewis III, president of LES and Jon A. Kusler of the Association of State Wetland Managers and, Kevin L. Erwin a consulting Ecologist in Ft. Myers, Florida were the authors. A summary follows:

In 1987, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) initiated a project to prepare a single source document summarizing the status of the scientific basis for wetland restoration and creation in the United States.

Thirty-two recognized wetland scientists assembled the known information and prepared draft papers for peer review. Jon A. Kusler and Mary E. Kentula edited the 29 resulting papers, which were published in October of 1989 as an EPA publication (EPA 600/3-89/038 a and b). The two volumes were reprinted as a single volume by Island Press (Washington, D.C.) In 1990 (ISBN 1-55963-044-2). This presentation summarizes the major findings of that report, in the hopes that our mistakes will not be repeated, and our successes will encourage others to continue our work.

The summary paper is divided into four principal sections

(1) terminology and definitions

(2) conclusions regarding the adequacy of our scientific understanding concerning wetland restoration and creation

(3) recommendations for filling the gaps in scientific knowledge

(4) recommendations for wetland managers with regard to restoration and creation based upon the status of our scientific understanding.

The paper concludes with an example of integrated watershed management. A copy of the complete paper is available through "Request Info" which may be selected below.

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