Wetlands Mitigation in New Jersey's Coastal Management Program

The New Jersey Wetlands Act, passed in 1970, gives the Department of Environmental Protection's Division of Coastal Resources (DCR) direct regulatory authority to protect over 240,000 acres of salt marshes and tidal freshwater wetlands. Neither the Act itself nor the implementing regulations make any specific reference to mitigation. Thus, in early 1986, the Division adopted an explicit coastal wetlands mitigation policy which is intended to "assure no net loss of aquatic habitat productivity, including flora and fauna."