In the US, protection, restoration, or replacement of lost wetland functions and values is required for most development projects affecting these valuable and endangered ecological zones. Mitigation can take the form of avoiding and minimizing development project impacts, creating new wetlands or restoring or improving existing ones.
This mitigation prerequisite to wetland permit approval is a key component of the Clinton Administration’s “no net loss" wetlands policy. Mitigation banking, a recent development, is a form of compensatory mitigation involving the use of credits from the restoration or creation of offsite wetlands to offset unavoidable development impacts on onsite wetlands.
Wetland Mitigation: Mitigation Banking and Other Strategies for Development and Compliance clearly describes wetland functions, values, and identification techniques and explains how to evaluate and implement mitigation measures. Written in plain English, not legalese, this comprehensive reference provides explanations of the relevant regulations, guidance on mitigation requirements and the permitting process, practical case studies of several types of mitigation and the technologies required, tables, checklists, difficult-to-obtain government guidance documents, and federal and state wetland agency contacts.