ABSTRACT

The San Francisco Bay–Delta and the southern California coast are both highly populated regions (over 16 million people in southern California and nearly as many in the Bay area), and both have experienced substantial impacts on natural wetlands. The Bay–Delta, however, had large wetland resources historically, whereas southern California never had large wetlands; and less than 10% of the historical extent has survived coastal development. Thus, efforts to restore lost wetland habitat and ecosystem functions (services) are relatively advanced in southern California, and experiences and recommendations in this rapidly developing region may be useful to efforts in northern California and other coastal areas.