In Arkansas, no fewer than seven state agencies have direct responsibilities for water resources, while none has discreet wetland authority. There is no state natural resource planning office and no state natural resources plan. Agencies are traditional, client-captured organizations with separate commissions, some of which are constitutionally independent. Development of comprehensive water code legislation, begun in the 1980s, continues to define agency water authorities.
Rural landowners are direct clients of all the natural resources agencies.
Except for reservoir or water supply development, there is little history of regional land use planning. However, strong partnerships with federal agencies and interagency cooperation and information exchange results in more coordination than indicated by the traditional organizational structure. Wetland program activities in Arkansas can be grouped into six major categories. A brief overview of each category follows. At the federal level of government, the FWS has responsibility for updating wetland status and trends every ten years.