Whither wetlands
a us government programme that permits landowners to destroy wetlands if they create or restore others is proving to be detrimental for the environment, a panel of scientists has observed. The panel, convened by the National Academy of Sciences, found that the number of wetlands in the us has declined considerably because in many cases the substitute wetlands were not developed. Where they were developed, they not only failed to meet standards, but also lacked the ecological characteristics of the natural wetlands. "The programme's goal of