California today has only 10 percent of the wetlands that existed before settlement by Europeans. Only 5 percent of the state's coastal wetlands remain intact. Government efforts in response to these losses have come in the form of legal restrictions on uses of wetlands as well as protection through acquisition, restoration, and management. While these approaches have done a great deal to preserve wetlands and prevent their indiscriminate destruction, they cannot reach all wetlands. The lands with the greatest potential for wetland restoration and management are mostly in private ownership.
Landowners have the opportunity to play a significant stewardship role.
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