Legislation in the USA

There is a plethora of legislation in the USA which relates to coastal management and habitat restoration. Amongst these the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 as amended through P.L. 104-150, The Coastal Zone Protection Act of 1996 is the law which established the coast as a key area for protection and management. It is administered by the Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management which takes the lead on the Nation's coastal, estuarine and ocean management issues. [The Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management (OCRM http://www.ocrm.nos.noaa.gov/) is an office within the National Ocean Service (NOS). NOS is a part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).] The law created the nation's coastal management programme which is a unique federal-state partnership for protecting, restoring, and responsibly developing the nation's important and diverse coastal communities and resources. The National Estuarine Research Reserve system protects and studies estuarine areas through a network of 25 reserves.

Growing public awareness and concern for controlling water pollution led to enactment of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act Amendments of 1972. As amended in 1977, this law became commonly known as the Clean Water Act. The amendments to this act in 1987 resulted in the establishment of the National Estuary Program which is administered through the Environmental Protection Agency [http://www.epa.gov].

Lobbying from Restore America's Estuaries together with a general recognition of the value of estuarine wetlands, not only to wildlife but also human use, led the US Government under the Clinton Presidency to establish an Estuary Restoration Act in 2000. This forms a back drop and funding for major catchment wide restoration programmes. These build on the already extensive work in some of the major estuaries included in the National Estuary Programme which forms part of a general and sustained approach to wetland restoration in the USA.