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A wetland with green plants and standing water, with light blue skies above.

Wetland Assessments

Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP) wetland assessments quantify the effects of voluntary conservation efforts for wetlands located in agricultural settings at both regional and national scales.

About Wetland Assessments

Wetlands occur where water covers the soil or is present near the soil surface either seasonally or year-round. They include marshes, swamps, bogs, and fens. Beyond providing wildlife habitat and increasing biodiversity, wetlands serve to remove sediment, nutrients, and other pollutants, contain floodwaters, and store carbon. Through CEAP, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) develops monitoring and modeling processes that improve wetland conservation efforts on private working lands.

CEAP wetland assessments across multiple scales inform voluntary conservation actions for a diversity of land managers and partners by improving predictions of responses in wetland functions and ecosystem services. Details on the methods for CEAP wetland assessments are available on the CEAP Frequently Asked Questions page.


Wetland Publications

Reports, Articles, and Bibliographies
Fact Sheets: Conservation Insights and Science Notes
Webinars and Blogs

CEAP Wetland Highlights

The below highlights represent recent resources and key findings released by CEAP on wetland conservation efforts and outcomes. Visit this webpage frequently to see what's new, or browse the above publications to access a range of published resources from CEAP wetland assessments.
 

Conservation Insight Fact Sheet

Maximizing the Water Quality Benefits of Wetlands in Croplands

This Conservation Insight quantifies the potential of wetlands in agricultural landscapes to capture and store nutrients – namely nitrogen and phosphorus – and highlights conservation efforts to maximize nutrient management and associated water quality benefits.

Aerial view of prairie pothole wetlands across a green and open, partially agricultural landscape.
Journal Special Research Section

Wetlands in Agricultural Landscapes

This special research section from the Journal of Soil and Water Conservation was published in 2020 and features a suite of articles related to CEAP wetland assessments, including significant findings and recent advancements for conservation efforts involving wetlands in agricultural landscapes.

Standing water in a macro at a restored wetland area, with trees in the background and heavily clouded blue skies above.

Additional Resources

Joe Prenger

Wetland Lead, Conservation Effects Assessment Project