However, many wetlands in New Jersey are forested and do not fit the classic picture of a swamp or marsh. Previously misunderstood as wastelands, wetlands are now being recognized for their vital ecological and socioeconomic contributions. Wetlands soak up runoff from heavy rains and snow melts, providing natural flood control. Wetlands release stored flood waters during droughts. Wetlands provide critical habitats for a major portion of the State's fish and wildlife, including endangered, commercial and recreational species.
Wetlands provide high quality open space for recreation and tourism.
Many of these values were not widely appreciated until the 1970s and 1980s. By then, more than half of the nation's wetlands were destroyed. Over the last two hundred years, the United States has lost over 117 million acres of its wetlands through dredge and fill activities, drainage, development, pollution, and natural causes. Erosion, flooding, and sedimentation has resulted. Furthermore, the decrease in wetlands has decreased populations of waterfowl, fish, and shellfish.