Wetlands protection in Georgia

Summary

The purpose of this project is to provide state, federal and non-governmental natural resource managers with a Georgia-specific GIS database of potential areas for wetland mitigation banks and conservation and restoration projects using a GIS model to prioritize wetland functions and values. The models identify and prioritize potential sites wetland mitigation banking and restoration activities.

Situation

Georgia ranks second in the southeast in estimated wetland acreage and has a rich diversity of wetland types. Georgia is currently the nations 10th most populous state and is projected to double in population within the next 25 years. A large fraction of this growth is projected for areas proximal to wetlands, such as coastal counties. Currently in Georgia there is no coordinated statewide program for the identification and prioritization of landscape-level wetland areas used for wetland mitigation banks or other restoration activities. As a result, current restoration efforts benefit the immediate area and satisfy “no-net-loss”, but may not contribute greatly to the overall health of the watershed. Developing a prioritization map of potential wetland restoration areas will help natural resource managers focus restoration efforts in areas that will provide the greatest cumulative effect on the health of a watershed and surrounding communities.

Response

Under the direction of Georgia Environmental Protection Division (GAEPD) and a technical steering committee, we developed a GIS watershed-based planning tool to identify where wetland mitigation and restoration activities will have the greatest impact on aquatic resources as assessed by wetland functions and values and identify a prioritization using a human impact assessment on aquatic resources. The product is a Geographic Information System which identifies and prioritizes potential wetland restoration sites at multiple spatial scales, from statewide to local watersheds and also identifies cumulative human impacts based upon past, present and future threats to aquatic resources assessed at a watershed scale.

Impact

These results are being used by NRCS in assessing applications to the Wetland Reserve Program and the US Army Corps of Engineers as part of the mitigation bank protocol and Georgia EPD in their water quality protection programs.

State Issue

Conservation & Management of Natural Resources

Details

• Year: 2011
• Geographic Scope: State
• County: Clarke
• Program Areas:
  • Agriculture & Natural Resources