How Nature Builds Wetlands

Abstract

Wetlands are among the most complex ecosystems on earth, where achieving sustainable success in restoration and management requires a systems approach to understand how, and especially why, a given wetland functions as it does. A national program that lays the foundation for understanding how unique wetlands function at specific geographic locations (how they were built by nature) would improve our understanding of the underlying drivers of wetland functions. This article outlines some steps that such a program might embrace and suggests that this approach is needed as a foundation for future wetland restoration programs.