Mitigation Banking: A Mechanism for Compensating Unavoidable Fish and Wildlife Habitat Losses

In the United States, fish and wildlife habitat is continually being destroyed by water resource projects and other development activities. Some of these habitat losses can be avoided or mitigated. Unfortunately, many attempts to effectively mitigate habitat losses have been controversial, and results have been generally inadequate. Loss of habitat is this nation’s most critical fish and wildlife problem and the lessening or replacement of these losses is an absolute necessity.