National Wetlands Inventory

Wetlands are the cornerstone of the Nation’s most ecologically and economically important ecosystems, which benefit fish, wildlife, and people. The Emergency Wetlands Resources Act of 1986 (EWRA) directs the Service to map our nation’s wetlands and deepwater habitats, and produce scientific reports on the status and trends of wetlands. As of 2006, the National Wetlands Inventory has produced digital wetlands maps for about 53 percent of the nation. The Inventory provides federal, state, tribal, and local governments and the public with contemporary map and scientific data over the Internet that is widely used to help identify, conserve, and restore wetland resources across the American landscape.

Updated geospatial data produced by the Inventory, combined with other biological information, is an important decision support tool for strategic habitat conservation and species recovery actions by the Service with its partners for both coastal and inland areas of the Nation. The Inventory supplies digitally mapped habitat and trend report data to help guide, prioritize, and assess species recovery, wildlife resource management, and wetland restoration project actions.

Please visit the Inventory’s national website to access our mapper which provides views and access to the newest wetlands habitat data, and to access reports and other information about the nation’s wetland resources.