Drafting a regional blueprint for coastal wetlands

Along the Great Lakes shoreline, they buffer changes in lake water levels and the effects of increasing precipitation.

Restoration of wetland ecosystems is a top priority of Michigan’s Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE). The department’s Water Resources Division (WRD) has helped develop a Michigan Wetland Monitoring and Assessment Strategy, Landscape Level Wetland Assessment tools for identifying and managing wetland resources, and an interactive Wetlands Map Viewer showing wetland data.

A regional approach

Individual swamps and marshes function as pieces of a regionwide system providing habitat, water quality, and flood prevention all along the Great Lakes shoreline.

This is where the blueprint comes in.

Initiated in 2016 by the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes Landscape Conservation Cooperative, the program was developed into the blueprint by the FWS and partners including state agencies, academic institutions, the Saginaw Chippewa Tribe, nongovernmental organizations, local advocacy organizations, and land trusts.

The program’s Decision Support Tool, rolled out in fall 2024, is a mapping application from geographic information system software provider ArcGIS that delineates coastal wetland areas, categorizes them by current condition, and provides ecological and socioeconomic data to help planners decide where and how to deliver effective wetland conservation.

Users can explore current conditions and distribution of wetlands; specific actions needed for restoration or enhancement; and the ecological, economic, and social benefits of doing so. The tool also may empower community members and affinity groups to raise local awareness.

The voluntary and partnership-driven blueprint supports coordinated conservation among disparate communities. It represents wetlands as a holistic system supporting economic, social, and environmental needs through three goals:

1. Ensuring a balance of species and supporting populations of priority species. Healthy coastal wetlands provide important habitat for a variety of species, and wetland biodiversity provides essential ecosystem services for wildlife and people, including clean water, business, and recreation. The blueprint selects a set of indicator species to represent the suite of ecosystem services coastal wetland biodiversity provides.
2. Safeguarding a diverse range of wetland types and hydrological processes. A diversity of wetland types is crucial for achieving the broadest range of ecosystem services. For example, certain types of wetlands are better at reducing flooding and flashiness (the frequency and speed at which streamflow changes during runoff events) and filtering runoff. The blueprint offers planners and decision makers perspective on regional wetland diversity and prioritizes ecosystem service variety in development initiatives.
3. Identifying and enhancing economic and social benefits. Without requirements or regulations, planners need a clear picture of the social and economic benefits of coastal wetland conservation. Wetlands can boost tourism and recreation that supports hunting and fishing industries and draws visitors to parks and streams. A 2009 study estimated that each acre of coastal marsh accounted for $1,870 in recreational value – a critical consideration for any development plan. Wetlands also act as nature-based infrastructure, mitigating millions of dollars’ worth of flood damage every year.

The blueprint also notes the social benefits of enhanced access to wildlife and green spaces. Researchers studying the impacts of nature on society increasingly find communitywide improvements in mental and physical health, social well-being, and more.

The blueprint stands to be an excellent resource for planners and decision makers who want to leverage the vital ecological, economic, and social services our coastal wetlands provide.

Article by Jenny Wong of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Katie Mika of EGLE’s Office of the Great Lakes republished from the 2024 Michigan State of the Great Lakes Report.