By 1984, over half (54%) of all the wetlands in the US had been drained or filled for development or agriculture (according to USDA).  Congress responded to these alarming figures by passing two critical wetland conservation and restoration Federal programs administered by NRCS to slow or reverse these alarming trends. These two programs are the Wetland Conservation Provisions (WC), which was authorized in the 1985 Farm Bill, and the Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP), which was later authorized in the 1990 Farm Bill. Through these two programs, NRCS works with farmers and ranchers to maintain or increase important wetland benefits, while ensuring their ability to continue to produce food and fiber.

Today, natural wetlands are still being lost, but at a much slower rate than in the past. And those that are lost are compensated for through the development of other wetlands, a process called wetland mitigation.