This paper expands on the paper Aquatic Habitat and Wetlands of the Great Lakes (Dodge and Kavetsky, 1995) given at the State of the Lakes Ecosystem Conference (SOLEC) in 1994. That paper provided a general evaluation of the state of aquatic, inland, and coastal wetland habitats in the Great Lakes basin. The goal of this paper is to provide a more focused synthesis of the state of Great Lakes coastal wetlands.

Specifically, it aims to answer the following questions:

1. What are Great Lakes coastal wetlands and how in general do they work?
2. What are the functions and values of coastal wetlands?
3. What are the major pressures threatening them?
4. What are the best ways to determine their health?
5. What is the current state of health of coastal wetlands in the individual Great Lakes?
6. What are the gaps in our information on the state of coastal wetlands and how can we best fill them?

The answers to many of these questions remain incomplete. This paper will address the important role of wetland science and research in the management, conservation and restoration of Great Lakes coastal wetlands.