The United States has less than half of the 215 million acres of

The United States has less than half of the 215 million acres of wetlands that existed before the first European immigrants began drying out wetlands for agriculture. The mid-19th century saw the federal government award nearly 65 million acres of wetlands to 15 states in a series of Swamp Land Acts. The most rapid conversion occurred between the mid-1950s and mid-1970s, when an estimated 450,000 acres per year were lost, primarily to agriculture.

Many important public benefits have been lost converting wetlands for various development enterprises when regional planning, stronger regulation, and increased public awareness of wetland value might have avoided much of the conversion. Wetlands inhibit downstream flooding, prevent erosion along coasts and rivers, help remove or assimilate pollutants, support numerous endangered animals and plants, and provide aesthetically pleasing open spaces. Some wetlands are critical groundwater exchange areas.

At present, government intervention has only slowed the rate of loss. Even with increasing government response, wetland protection faces significant obstacles. Severe budget constraints always limit acquisition as a remedy. The Emergency Wetlands Resources Act allocates only $40 million per year in federal funds and relatively modest state funds for wetland purchase. Ultimately, only a small percentage of the approximately 95 million acres of today’s wetlands can be protected. Wetland acquisition by private environmental groups and land trusts adds important, but limited, protection. Government incentives rewarding private initiatives for conservation are limited and poorly funded. Although some private developers have recognized possible profit in protecting select wetlands, primarily for their aesthetic value, these developers probably would not preserve wetlands without strong government regulation.

The present strategy of stringent permit guidelines protecting every threatened wetland area regardless of type or value has not worked. About 300,000 acres of wetlands disappear each year. An alternative strategy is to regionalize management of valuable wetlands at risk. Extensive evaluations could identify critical wetland systems meeting particular regional and national needs and analyze the ill effects of abandonment. Federal, state, and local interests could then cooperate to seek ways of preventing anticipated wetland losses and control development in areas where wetland destruction is deemed unnecessary.

1. The author’s primary purpose in this passage is to

A. trace the historical development of wetland conversion in the United States
B. explain how a wetland area develops and thrives
C. call attention to an environmental problem and evaluate possible solutions
D. describe the encroachment of agricultural development on America’s wetlands
E. present a concept of environmental protection based on the experience of European immigrants


2. According to the passage, wetlands can provide all of the following environmental benefits EXCEPT:

A. a means of preventing coastal erosion
B. a habitat for endangered species
C. a medium for groundwater exchange
D. a source of fossil fuel
E. the assimilation of pollutants


3. Which of the following best describes the author’s attitude toward government acquisition of wetlands, acquisition by private environmental groups, and protection by private developers?

A. All three are limited in their potential for slowing wetland loss.
B. Acquisition by government and private groups offers some protection for wetlands, while actions by private developers will speed wetland loss.
C. All three strategies are promising, and more study is needed to determine which is best.
D. A combination of all three strategies, in conjunction with regional management, can potentially reverse the trend toward wetland conversion.
E. Governmental policy has worsened the problem of wetland loss by emphasizing government acquisition in preference to private acquisition and protection by developers.


4. The author states which of the following about wetland loss in the United States?

A. Businesses are justified in converting wetlands if they have no aesthetic value.
B. It can be prevented if the federal government will double its $40 million yearly allocation for wetland purchases.
C. It can be halted through a regional management approach.
D. It occurred most rapidly between the mid-1950s and mid-1970s.
E. The federal government should preserve the nation’s remaining 95 million acres of wetlands.