The Ballona Wetlands — an ecological reserve on L.A.’s Westside, bordered by Marina del Rey, Playa Vista and Playa del Rey — are the second-largest chunk of open space in L.A., second only to Griffith Park. … Healthy wetlands can absorb carbon in the atmosphere and buffer coastal communities from flooding. … Across the world, calls to protect them are growing as human-caused climate change accelerates. Despite the potential, the Ballona Wetlands have been the subject of one of Southern California’s longest running environmental battles. Nearly 20 years after the wetlands were designated by the state as an ecological reserve, there’s still no timeline for completing the plans to restore them, and public access to the green space remains significantly limited.

Other wetland restoration news:

• Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment: Blog: Strategically bringing back beavers could support healthy and climate-resilient watersheds
• The Sonoma County Gazette (Santa Rosa, Calif.): Petaluma River gets its groove back: dredging starts this fall
• The Fresno Bee (Calif.): Yellow-legged creatures on brink of extinction return home to wild. ‘Milestone’