Progress

If wildlife are thriving, then it follows that their homes must be in good shape. One way to track progress towards healthy wetlands is to look at wildlife that depend on wetlands. The first group is wetland breeding birds, or birds that must have wetland habitat for nesting and raising their young.

Amphibians (mostly frogs and toads) are intimately connected to water, literally able to breathe underwater through their skin.  With this close association with water, they are especially sensitive to changes in wetland habitats.  A community of wetland breeding frogs can indicate that a wetland is healthy and functioning well.

Hundreds of projects are funded with the goal of protecting, restoring or enhancing Great Lakes coastal wetlands.  These investments are critical to supporting on-the-ground efforts to improve the extent, diversity and resiliency of coastal wetlands.  But are these investments in coastal wetlands reaching enough area?  Can funding be allocated more efficiently to ensure maximum impact? 

Many of our coastal wetlands have been permanently lost.  But how are we doing with protecting what we have?  Reporting the percentage of Great Lakes coastal wetlands that are protected can help focus efforts to preserve them where they are most needed.

This metric shows the percentage of wetlands protected at a glance, to highlight progress to-date and where we can do more.