This article reviews the current legal mechanisms throughout the world that are designed to encourage wetland restoration activities. Part I examines international law that calls for wetland restoration. Part II explores non-regulatory programs that offer financial incentives for wetland restoration. In particular, direct payments to landowners and indirect payments through tax deductions and credits are noted. Part III explores domestic, non-cash incentives that are outside of traditional, permit-based regulatory programs. Such incentives include the generation of good will or favorable publicity for corporations (or their desire to avoid unfavorable publicity), governmental permission to conduct harvesting activities that would otherwise be limited or prohibited, and governmental assurances not to impose stricter land-use controls if the restoration project results in environmental improvements. Part IV reviews several domestic regulatory programs and indentifes incentives for wetland restoration, including mitigation banking.

This article discusses the relationship between international assistance and in particular official development assistance (ODA) and sustainable development. The article then reviews why the United States ought to provide international assistance for sustainable development. Then it examines the level of U.S. ODA, prior to the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janiero and post-Rio, and compares U.S. actions with those of other nations. The article concludes with the recommendations for the United States and for the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg.