Click the "view in browser" option to open a document in a new browser tab or "download" to download the desired file to your computer:

Great Lakes coastal wetlands (GLCWs) are freshwater marshes containing herbaceous vegetation that exist along the shorelines of the Great Lakes and their connecting waterways . Vegetation in coastal wetlands is strongly influenced by geomorphological configuration and water level fluctuations, and typical plant communities include deep marsh with submerged plants, emergent, and wet meadow zones. GLCWs provide habitat for many endangered and other species, support a high level of biodiversity, and provide a range of ecological functions and services (Uzarski et al. 2017). Wetland ecosystem services directly and indirectly affect human well-being through impacts on fish supply, water quality and availability, climate regulation and climate change mitigation, and an array of cultural services (MEA 2005). Unfortunately, significant loss of historical GLCWs has occurred throughout the Great Lakes due to anthropogenic impacts (e.g., drainage, urbanization, structural modifications).

Given the importance of GLCWs and the significant loss of historical wetland area and function, there is a need to establish the desired extent and condition of GLCWs and identify where to focus conservation actions to promote healthy Great Lakes ecosystems and communities. Over the past decade, significant monitoring, modeling, and data analysis work has been conducted for GLCWs. However, to date, the results of those efforts have not yet been integrated to develop a streamlined, systematic approach to drive targeted conservation actions. This includes a lack of specificity with respect to integrating GLCW-related human well-being needs that can support “healthy communities”. To address this priority need, the Great Lakes Coastal Assembly convened a group of experts from more than 30 organizations to define three objectives towards developing a Great Lakes Coastal Wetland Conservation Framework (Framework):

• Objective One: Establish existing baseline extent and condition of Great Lakes coastal wetlands.
• Objective Two: Determine extent and condition of coastal wetland types needed to help achieve healthy Great Lakes and coastal communities.
• Objective Three: Identify where to focus coastal wetland efforts to achieve healthy Great Lakes and coastal communities.

The following table defines key terms used throughout this application. Scroll within the table to view all entries.

The following table defines the key ecosystem services under the Framework, including ecological services/functions and human well-being needs. Scroll within the table to view all entries.

The following table defines the indicators of Great Lakes coastal wetland system health. Scroll within the table to view all entries.