The Wetlands Restoration Program was established in 1994 by the Executive Office of Environmental Affairs to advance the state's wetlands policy by promoting and assisting voluntary projects that restore the Commonwealth's wetlands. To fulfill its mission, WRP works with a broad network of partners to develop regional restoration plans, identify restoration opportunities, assess project feasibility, prepare engineering designs, obtain permits, complete construction, monitor restoration progress, and deliver outreach and educational resources.

In its first decade, over thirty projects were completed, exceeding 400 acres of wetlands under restoration. During this period, the program helped leverage over $12.5 million in non-state funds, including $9.5 million in federal funds and over $1 million in corporate financial and technical service donations. In 2003, WRP was integrated into EOEA's Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM). The program currently focuses on the holistic restoration of tidal or formerly tidal wetlands within the state's coastal watersheds. Looking forward, new restoration opportunities – identified from WRP plans and other efforts – continually emerge, and offer the potential to restore thousands more acres of degraded Massachusetts wetlands in the years ahead.