From March 27–April 3, NOAA is taking a court-side look at how we protect and restore marsh habitat to sustain fisheries, recover protected species, and maintain resilient coastal ecosystems and communities. Follow #MarshMadness on @NOAAHabitat!
Marsh Habitat Features
Video: Improving Habitat for Community Resilience: The Middle Peninsula Habitat Focus Area
Join NOAA Fisheries as we visit the Middle Peninsula (Virginia) Habitat Focus Area to learn about the challenges the area faces from climate change—and the projects we’re working on with partners to enhance coastal resilience. Watch this video to learn about efforts to restore oyster reefs and shorelines, protecting wetlands and the coastal communities that live there. Work is already showing results!
Put on your waders and learn about habitat conservation in Virginia's Middle Peninsula
5 Lovely Reasons Why We "Heart" Estuaries
Estuaries, where rivers meet the sea—have marshes, mangroves, swamps, deltas, and floodplains—that all provide valuable benefits to fish, protected species, and communities.
Read more about why we love them and how we work to conserve, protect, and restore them
$64 Million Approved for Two Habitat Restoration Projects in Coastal Louisiana
NOAA works through the Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection, and Restoration Act Program to support resilient communities and sustainable fisheries in Louisiana.
Find out how we are restoring habitat along the Louisiana coast
Great Meadows Marsh Project is Restoring Salt Marsh Habitat and Building Resilience in Coastal Connecticut
Restoration of nearly 40 acres of salt marsh and other coastal habitats will help Great Meadows Marsh in Long Island Sound respond to sea level rise. The effort is supported by funding from three pollution cases in Connecticut.
Find out how NOAA and partners are revitalizing salt marsh to combat sea level rise
Does Rebuilding an Island Rebuild Fish Habitat?
Scientists from the NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office are investigating whether fish are using restored areas at Maryland’s Poplar Island.
Hop onboard and see how scientists are monitoring fish species around the rebuilt island
Recommendations for Reducing Wetland Loss in Coastal Watersheds of the United States
NOAA and federal partners release a new guidance document detailing steps needed to save our disappearing coastal wetlands.
Learn more about how the recommendations can help our coasts
NOAA’s Largest Wetland Restoration Project On Track for Early Completion
NOAA and partners began construction in May 2022 on a massive 1,200 acre marsh creation project in Louisiana’s Barataria Basin to create habitat, reduce erosion, and protect communities. The project is ahead of schedule.
Paddle down the Mississippi River with us and see large-scale restoration in action
Protecting Coastal Blue Carbon Through Habitat Conservation
By absorbing and storing carbon dioxide, coastal habitats (like marshes) play an important role in protecting the climate.
What’s Wild in Our Wetlands?
Marshes and swamps are two kinds of wetlands that look like land but are sometimes so wet that fish live in many of them. As a matter of fact, many fish couldn’t survive without wetlands!
Explore our interactive map to find out what kind of fish might be in your local wetland
Interview with a Habitat: Wetland
During a recent Habitat Month, we interviewed different types of habitats and asked about the ways they provide numerous benefits to communities and our economy.
Coastal Wetlands: Too Valuable to Lose
Wetlands are a pivotal part of the natural system, providing tremendous benefits for coastal ecosystems and communities. They provide us with clean water, flood protection, abundant fisheries, and more.
Learn more about all of the ways that coastal wetlands benefit our day-to-day lives
Infographic
The Value of Coastal Wetland Habitat
Nearly 80,000 acres of coastal wetlands are lost in the United States each year to development, draining, erosion, and sinkage. That’s close to 70 basketball courts every hour.
See the results of our efforts to protect and restore wetland habitats