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WETLAND FUNCTIONS AND VALUES: THE STATE OF OUR UNDERSTANDING NOVEMBER AMERICAN WATER RESOURCES ASSOCIATION 1978 IMPORTANCE OF WETLANDS TO ENDANGERED AND THREATENED SPECIES James D. lViHiarns acid C Kennc tlt Dodd, Jr. t ABSTRACT: The importance of wetland habitats to certain endangered and threatened plants and animals of the United States is reviewed and examples of endam~ered and threatened rep- tiles amphibians, fishy+~ .~~~ i2~rdti dependent on wetlandti are discussed. The role of the Ameri- can alli~tor in shaping some wetland habitats is greater than its commercial value. The status of wetland habitats in desert areas of the southwestern United States is exaritined and Ash Meadows, Nevada, is used as an example to illustrate the precarious nature of-these habitats. - On aNational basis, the percentage of endangered and threatened species dependent on wet- lands is presented by major taxonomic groups. \Vithout increased protection of wetland habi- tats, many of our endangered and threatened species may disappear before the end of the cen~ tury. (KEY TERMS: alligator; amphibians: birds; conservation; desert wetlands; endangered and tlveatened species; fishes: mannnals: plants: reptiles; wetlands.) INTRODUCTION Of all our natural heritage, America's wetlands are among the most vulnerable and most threatened habitats- Wetland ecosystems of the United States have been the target of physical alteration, usually drainage, for many decades and more recently pollution has become a serious problem. Only in recent years have efforts been made to protect remaining wetlands and to inform private, commercial, and government interests of their value and significance. [n many cases, endangered and threatened species have been bene- factors of the efforts. If one examines a map of the wetlands of the United States (Shaw and Fredine, 1971), it becomes apparent that these areas represent a small fraction of our total land area. Wetland e,,co,,swstems and their associated transitional communities, however, harb~,ow~an unusually large percenta~e_oLlvliaue plants and animals. In the past, wetland habitats and their associated endangered, threatened, and unique plants and wildlife have been given little or no value by land developers and public officials. Unfortunately, this led to the wholesale destruction of many of our prime wetland habitats and their associated flora and fauna. In recent years, increased research effort has resulted in a better understand- ing of the structure and function of wetlarids and has contributed to their protection. Increased environmental awareness of the general public in the past decade has been in- strumental in pointing out the aesthetic value of these unique and biolog~cal~ rich areas. t Office of Endangered Species, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Washington, D.C. 20240. 565