The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently announced a $11 million investment in multiple partnerships to restore wetlands and provide support to historically underprivileged areas, according to a USDA news release.
The funds will be allocated to five Wetland Reserve Enhancement Partnerships (WREPs), with the goal of bringing together partners and landowners in an effort to restore key wetland functions to agricultural landscapes through voluntary participation.
“@USDA is investing $11 million in five Wetland Reserve Enhancement Partnership projects," the Natural Resources Conservation Service announced on Twitter, "Learn more about how we're working with partners to mitigate climate change by conserving wetlands.”
The investment is part of the USDA's strategy to combat climate change while both safeguarding and promoting historically neglected populations.
Specifically, the USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will fund two new programs. These are the Georgia-Alabama Land Trust and The Athens Lands Trust, as well as three existing programs – The Tri-State Partnership and The Lower Washash River White River Oxbow project in Indiana and Illinois, both led by The Nature Conservancy, and The Lower Mississippi River Batture, led by the Mississippi River Trust.
According to the news release, these five programs will prioritize the most impactful projects while simultaneously attempting to aid historically underserved farmers and ranchers who enroll in WREP.
