The Corps' decision to promote consistency in favor of conservation, rather than in favor of destruction, will help foster continued improvements in wildlife populations and other environmental conditions for the American public. Suitable habitat is the fundamental requirement of all wildlife. For example, ducks require duck habitat. During the breeding season, duck habitat consists of a mixture of small, medium and large wetlands with water, along with upland nesting cover, in the same places at the same time. If any of these habitat elements is missing, ducks and other wetland wildlife cannot survive, much less thrive.
History proves that abundant duck habitat depends on federal measures to protect wetlands.
Only in the last four years has the duck decline apparently been stemmed and even reversed. The U.S. recently is enjoying increasing duck numbers, improved duck hunting and liberalized hunting seasons, which demonstrate that investments in conservation do pay off. Total duck numbers have reached quarter-century highs. A few duck species are even approaching the continental population goals established by sportsmen and wildlife managers in 1986 in the North American Waterfowl Management Plan. The federal government has not yet found a way to control the precipitation, but it can have substantial influence over the habitat.