How Successful is Mitigation

The success of wetland mitigation banking will ultimately depend on the success of wetland mitigation. If mitigation projects frequently fail, mitigation banks are also likely to fail. A recent study by the Florida Department of Environmental Regulation (DER) shows that many required wetland creation projects have not been conducted, and less than half of the completed mitigation projects are ecologically successful. The results also suggest that the success rate would increase to only 40 percent with the implementation of successful remedial measures, such as replanting or minor earthwork.