Wetlands Explained Wetland Science, Policy, and Politics in America [Paperback]

This book brings together in compact form a broad scientific and sociopolitical view of US wetlands. This primer lays out the science and policy considerations to help in navigating this branch of science that is so central to conservation policy, ecosystem science and wetland regulation. It gives explanations of the attributes, functions and values of our wetlands and shows how and why public attitudes toward wetlands have changed, and the political, legal, and social conflicts that have developed from legislation intended to stem the rapid losses of wetlands. The book describes the role of wetland science in facilitating the evolution of a rational and defensible system for regulating wetlands and will shed light on many of the problems and possibilities facing those who quest to protect and conserve our wetlands.

1. Where We Are, and How We Got Here
2. What a Wetland Is, and Isn't
3. What Wetlands Do, and How They Do It
4. Water Is as Water Does
5. Mother Earth
6. The Cast of Characters
7. Eye of Newt
8. Once and Future Wetlands
References
Index

[Lewis] has produced a fine book that does an excellend job of explaining what wetlands are and why they should be protected, in a manner that is accessible by non-experts in the field...I highly recommend it... --Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology