What Happened?
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is awarding more than $21 million in grants to conserve coastal wetlands across the country. The grants are provided under the National Coastal Wetlands Conservation Grant Program.
Goal
The $21 million in funding from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will be provided to 25 projects in 13 coastal and Great Lakes States to protect, restore or enhance more than 11,000 acres of coastal wetlands near upland habitats. The grants are supplemented by more than $35 million in additional funding from local governments, private landowners, conservation groups and other project partners.
Not only do coastal wetlands house significantly productive ecosystems, but also offer billions of dollars in ecosystem services through:
- Drinking water filtration
- Buffering against storm and flood control
- Outdoor recreation jobs and expenditures
Coastal wetlands generate money for local economies through recreational activities such as angling, boating, hunting and bird watching. The funding from the National Coastal Wetlands Conservation Grant program helps states determine and address their conservation priorities in coastal areas.
According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service wetlands in coastal watersheds are losing more than 80,000 acres per year. Projects that aim to conserve and enhance coastal wetlands will:
- Protect local wildlife dependent on the wetlands
- Strengthen flood protection
- Improve water quality
- Provide recreational benefits
The grants are funded through taxes paid on equipment and fuel purchases by recreational anglers and boaters.
Sustainable Conservation
President Obama has requested $1.6 billion of the 2016 discretionary budget be spent on supporting U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service programs, up $135.7 million from the 2015 level. The recommended $1.6 billion would go alongside an additional $1.4 billion under permanent appropriations for fish and wildlife restoration and conservation at the state level.
The $1.6 billion would be used to invest in science-based conservation and restoration programs that consider the impacts of climate change while offer economic benefits to local communities. Specific high-priority initiatives include:
- America’s Great Outdoors: $1.5 billion to reconnect Americans to outdoor activities and opportunities, as well as understanding of the impacts of climate change
- Wildlife Trafficking: $4 million to combat expanding illegal wildlife trafficking and supporting global conservation efforts
- Ecological Services: $258.2 million to conserve and enhance at-risk wildlife and habitats
- Fish and Aquatic Conservation: $147.5 million for Fish and Aquatic Resource Conservation
- Land Acquisition: $164.8 million for federal land acquisition in high priority conservation areas
- Powering Our Future: $16.8 million development of cleaner energy sources to mitigate causes and impacts of climate change
- Landscape Level Understanding: $69.7 million for landscape level science and conservation and finding solutions to address conservation challenges
- Cooperative Recovery: $10.7 million cooperative species recovery for endangered or threatened species
The administration is invested in creating new ways to engage urban communities and economies with outdoor activities and opportunities.
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