"This manual is based on the authors' experience teaching the Wetland Assessment Training Course to employees of the Chinese National Environmental Protection Agency (CNEPA) at Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, October 1986 and at Tongliao, Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region, august 1987, Peoples Republic of China. the object of the course was to provide a basic introduction to freshwater wetlands, their functions and preliminary techniques by which to screen wetlands for potential functions. Minimal acquaintance with wetlands, as systems, was assumed and emphasis was put on functions important to subsistence economies and sustainable utilization. The manual is designed to be used by an instructor who has taken the course or who has had training in wetland functions and assessment. It is an outline on which not all of the concepts and procedures are fully developed. It is intended to serve as an instructional guide to course topics and organization, and a framework for student note taking, discussion, and as an aide to bridging a language barrier. We recommend that instructors use the books listed in section 11.0 as prime sources while instructing the course. We have drawn from them extensively."--Page ii

Assessing the importance of a wetland is a complex procedure requiring a comprehensive analysis of all wetland values and functions. This document assesses eleven wetland functions used primarily to evaluate the effect of permit actions on wetlands.