BOSTON (AP) – A plan by state environmental officials to amend the rules that protect wetlands could lead to the destruction of some of the state’s most fragile ecosystems, environmentalists say.

A public comment period on the proposed changes ends on Monday, so the rules being written by state Department of Environmental Protection officials could be in place as soon as the fall.

The department, which has had its budget cut drastically, said the changes will allow staff to stop spending time on minor violations and instead concentrate efforts on landowners who are illegally filling in larger areas of wetlands.

“I honestly believe this will result in an increase in environmental protection,” Commissioner Robert Golledge Jr. told The Boston Globe.

To catch the worst offenders, department investigators need more time to find and document violations, Golledge said. The proposed rules would free department employees from spending time on small projects that cause minimal, if any damage, to nearby wetlands, he said.

However Environmental groups worry that the new rules could accelerate the loss of wetlands the state has experienced in the past decade.

“My fear is there is a real rollback in state wetlands protection that will jeopardize public health, water quality, and wildlife habitat,” said Heidi Ricci, senior policy specialist for the Massachusetts Audubon Society, who sat on the advisory committee for the new rules.

Wetlands are natural pollution filters and flood valves, and 120 of the state’s most threatened species rely on wetlands for their survival.

The proposed rules would do away with reviews for most projects 50 to 100 feet from wetlands, make it more difficult to appeal some wetlands decisions, and make it easier for homeowners to build additions and add swimming pools in flood plains.

Massachusetts was once known as one of the best states in the nation at protecting wetlands, but poor record keeping, poor enforcement and dependence on local volunteer conservation commissions in the past decade has resulted in the loss of at least 800 acres of wetlands, much of which has been filled illegally, according to a state aerial survey.