Protecting and Restoring Wetlands

Problem

Goals and Objectives

Changes: The goal and some objectives were re-worded improve clarity and readability. Seven new objectives were added to clarify the scope of actions needed to meet the stated goal.

Goal 7.1. Promote the long-term increase of high-quality wetlands in Buzzards Bay and its surrounding watershed.
Objective 7.1. Improve protection of existing wetlands through laws, regulations, and government policies.
Objective 7.2. Encourage restoration of degraded and filled wetlands.
Objective 7.3. Ensure enforcement of wetlands laws.
Objective 7.4. Enhance the effectiveness of local conservation commissions to protect wetlands.
Objective 7.5. Create new wetlands habitat, and enhance existing wetland habitat, especially habitat directly supporting threatened, rare and endangered coastal species and anadromous and catadromous fish.
Objective 7.6. Ensure that adopted coastline climate resilience strategies are compatible with the migration of wetlands and barrier beaches. (New)
Objective 7.7. Restore hydrology to tidally restricted salt marshes. (New)
Objective 7.8. Promote land management, land protection, and restoration that support potential marsh migration. (New)
Objective 7.9. Assist municipalities with identifying and mapping marsh migration areas, and in identifying barriers to marsh migration and expansion. (New)
Objective 7.10. Prioritize management actions for wetlands or rare or threatened species most vulnerable to climate impacts (with US endangered roseate tern habitat prioritized; see related recommendations in Action Plan 11). (New)
Objective 7.11. Support research to better understand how essential wetland habitat and threatened species may be impacted by climate stressors. (New)
Objective 7.12. Support a 15% increase in eelgrass bed acreage by 2035 (to 7,000 acres) as documented in the DEP long-term monitoring program) through water quality and habitat improvements, such as use of conservation moorings. (New)