More than half of United States wetlands have been lost since European settlement in the 17th century, with rates of net wetland loss and conversion to other land-cover types increasing in the early 21st century. These changes result from a complex array of environmental drivers, including agricultural and urban development, changes in water management, rising sea level, and natural fluctuations in rainfall and wildfire. Although resource management strategies often aim to maintain existing wetland plant communities, fire, and hydrology, relatively little is known about their stability and resilience over multidecadal and longer time spans. This talk will present research that illustrates the impacts of both post-settlement alteration of land cover and water management and natural variations in precipitation and hydrology on wetland systems of the southeastern United States and discuss its implications for management of these important natural resources.