What is the Regional Internet Bank Information Tracking System?
The Regional Internet Bank Information Tracking System or RIBITS as it is more commonly known is not what you may think it is. It has nothing to do with the bank at all. This complicated system is actually run by the United States Army Corps of Engineers.
- What They Do: RIBITS is responsible for monitoring programs funded and ran by organizations that were created to offset the destruction of wetland areas due to urban development. Organizations can build credits by taking part in wetland conservation programs before they develop an area. This credit-building program is called mitigation banking and can be used later in other developments.
- Agencies: The RIBITS program employs agencies and representatives to watch over the credits and debits of developers as they are used. The RIBITS program works closely gathering information from the Environmental Protection Agency, National Resource Conservation Service, National Maritime Fisheries Service, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
- Monitoring: RIBITS monitors the environmental impact of developers from one Internet based source. The RIBITS Internet database allows groups to see information on permits obtained by developers, view reports on credits and debits used by developers and request information on wetland conservation programs in the areas being built upon.
- Wildlife Protection: If RIBITS sees fit, based on reports of endangered indigenous species of the wetland area as well as other varying factors like more debt than credit to the programs, they can tell developers the area is to remain untouched until the company builds credit or the endangered population has grown.