The IWRAP is a program developed by the Southern California Wetlands Recovery Project (WRP) to evaluate the extent, distribution, and condition of wetlands throughout southern California’s coastal watersheds. The WRP is comprised of 17 State and Federal agencies that have agreed to work cooperatively to achieve regional wetland recovery in southern California. Under the IWRAP, regional wetland condition will be periodically evaluated based on indicators of hydrology, sediment, contaminants, biota, and landscape context.

For more detailed information on the IWRAP, please look at the IWRAP position paper.

The IWRAP includes all wetlands in the coastal watersheds from Point Conception to the Mexican border (map). The following wetland types are addressed in the IWRAP: estuaries and lagoons, rivers/streams their associated riparian zones, depressional wetlands (including vernal pools), lakes, seeps, and springs.

Most existing wetland monitoring in southern California is oriented towards site-specific assessment associated with a particular project. This makes it difficult to integrate data to provide a regional assessment of wetland condition. A coordinated regional monitoring program provides context for understanding wetland status and trends across southern California coastal watersheds and benefits restoration planning in the following ways.

• Provides an integrated and cost-effective regional approach to addressing the management information needs of agencies responsible for wetland management, regulation, and restoration
• Provides a regional frame of reference against which to compare site-specific monitoring.
• Provides a framework to evaluate restoration priorities and ensure that money spent on restoration and management has a lasting regional impact.
• Provides a tool to help verify the effectiveness of wetland regulatory and management policies.
• Provides a mechanism for streamlining the reporting of monitoring data, making them more accessible for routine scientific evaluation of restoration and management techniques.

The WRP Science Advisory Panel (SAP) is leading the development of the IWRAP, with input and guidance from the WRP Managers Group and County Task Forces. The SAP includes wetland experts from SCCWRP, state and local agencies, academia, and the private sector.

The IWRAP is being coordinated with several other regional monitoring and assessment programs. IWRAP development in southern California is being coordinated with the San Francisco Bay Wetlands Regional Monitoring Program (WRMP) and the Central Coast Wetlands Comprehensive GIS Project (CCWGIS) to form a consistent conceptual approach and standardized tools . Information generated by the IWRAP (and the other programs in the statewide venture) will be provided to both the California Surface Water Ambient Monitoring Program (SWAMP) and the State Non-point Source Monitoring Program (NPS) for inclusion in their overall assessments. In addition, indicators and protocols developed for the IWRAP are being used to develop site-specific monitoring efforts that are consistent with the regional program.