Wetland Ecology and Assessment Program

Coastal salt marsh wetlands are unique, valuable, and highly productive ecosystems that provide vital habitat and refuge for fish, shellfish, and wildlife and perform important physical and chemical functions such as shoreline stabilization, sediment trapping, organic productions and export, flood attenuation, and water quality maintenance. The legacy of urban development and human activities in coastal areas has resulted in the direct loss and alteration of a significant portion of this Nation's salt marsh wetlands. While the direct destruction of salt marshes has been dramatically curtailed with regulatory protection, adverse effects from indirect sources such as nonpoint source pollution (including on-site waste disposal and stormwater runoff), oil and other toxic spills, and subsurface water withdrawal continue to degrade these unique systems.