The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal federal agency tasked with providing information to the public on the extent and status of the nation’s wetland and deepwater habitats, as well as changes to these habitats over time.

What We Do

Our Services

We produce and distribute maps and other geospatial data on American wetland and deepwater habitats, as well as monitor changes in these habitats through time. This information is available to the public through two resources: the Wetlands Geospatial Dataset and Wetlands Status and Trends reports. These provide complementary information on wetland and deepwater habitat type, location, and trends to support decision makers involved with, land management planning and analyses, policy development, and modeling activities.

Our Mandates

The Emergency Wetlands Resources Act of 1986 requires the Secretary of the Interior, through the Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), to map and digitize the nation's wetlands and to archive and distribute the data. It further requires the Secretary to produce national wetlands status and trends reports to Congress. 

The Clean Water Act authorized for wetlands mapping to provide information to States to assist in the development and operation of programs under the Act. 

The Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act authorized the Secretary to provide assistance to, and cooperate with federal, state, and public or private agencies and organizations in the protection of all species of wildlife and their habitats and to make surveys of U.S. lands and waters and to accept funds for purposes covered in the Act. 

The Office of Management and Budget Circular A-16 requires the Department of the Interior, through the Service, to coordinate the Wetlands Layer of the National Spatial Data Infrastructure under the coordination of the Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC). Other OMB Circulars also apply. The Service is responsible for producing and maintaining the Wetlands Layer of the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI), which is a major component of the Department of Interior's geospatial line of business portfolio and E-government and identified as a National Geospatial Data Asset (NGDA) by the FGDC on GeoPlatform.gov and Data.gov.

Wetlands Geospatial Data

The Wetlands Mapper is the primary public interface to the wetlands geospatial dataset and it delivers easy-to-use, map-like views of the nation’s wetland and deepwater resources. It spatially integrates National Wetland Inventory data with additional natural resource information and political boundaries to produce a robust decision support tool.

Status and Trends

Our Status and Trends reports provide estimates of U.S. wetland extent, type, and change specific to different time periods, ranging from the 1700s to 2009. Produced on a decadal basis, these reports inform policymakers and the public on the status of the nation's wetlands and potential causes of wetland change.

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Our Library

Whether you are looking for more information about the National Wetlands Inventory, wetland status and trend reports, or the classification of wetlands and deepwater habitats, you can find it in our library.