Wetland Conservation Policy Coalition

The Wetland Conservation Policy Coalition (WCPC) is a diverse collaboration of non-government conservation organizations that formed in 2014 to identify and support priorities significant to strengthening Agricultural Conservation Easement Program – Wetland Reserve Easements (ACEP-WRE). General goals of the coalition include:

Build a broad collaborative of conservation partners to work in support of ACEP-WRE
Foster and build Congressional support for ACEP-WRE, including priority improvements and enhancements
Share coalition objectives and communicate openly with USDA-NRCS in support of ACEP-WRE goals, purpose and integrity

The Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) and ACEP-WRE have been long recognized by conservation partners and Congress among the most highly effective USDA conservation programs. Originally authorized in the 1991 Farm Bill, ACEP-WRE is administered by the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and provides technical and financial support to help landowners with wetlands protection, restoration and enhancement efforts. Since inception, the program has demonstrated its value in restoring a variety of wetland ecosystems throughout the country, including forested wetlands, prairie potholes, floodplain wetlands and coastal tidal marshes.

The United States has lost more than half of its original, naturally occurring wetlands, and the country continues to lose more than 80,000 acres of these valuable resources each year. Restored wetlands revive lost habitats, help to reduce flooding, process nutrients, and capture sediment. ACEP-WRE is not only highly effective for restoring previously converted wetlands, it also provides landowners a financially viable alternative to farming land with repetitive low or negative profits while still retaining property ownership, all while reducing federal expenditures on commodity and crop insurance programs. Additionally, ACEP-WRE creates habitat for migratory birds and resident wildlife, which diversifies local, rural economies as sportsmen and other wildlife enthusiasts recreate on these lands.