Restoration Program Background

Louisiana’s Vanishing Wetlands

Louisiana’s wetlands are truly a wonder of nature; the ecosystem includes nearly 3.4 million acres of swamp and marsh that stretch east of New Orleans to the Texas border.  The coastal zone also is home to thousands of animal and plant species, as well as human communities and vast industrial holdings.  But for all their bounty, the wetlands are disappearing at a high rate.  Every 38 minutes, a football field sized parcel of Louisiana’s wetlands turns to water.  The U.S. Geological Survey estimates that if present trends continue, the state will have lost 2,400 square miles of land between 1932 and 2050 (USGS, 2003).  Across the region, communities are being threatened, jobs are being lost, and habitats are vanishing. 

Major Causes of Wetland Loss

In general terms, wetland loss has resulted from alteration in hydrology leading to changes in salinity and soil inundation (Penland et al. 1996).  These changes typically cause a dieback of vegetation and eventually lead to a collapse of marsh substrate, turning coastal wetlands into open water. 

Natural forces which can be detrimental to the health of coastal wetlands include tropical storm and hurricane impacts, subsidence, and global sea-level rise.  Not only do storms erode marsh (including fragile, floating marsh), but storm surges also push salt water into fresh marshes, killing vegetation (LCWCRTF and WCRA, 1998). 

Subsidence, the compaction and sinking of the soil, is variable from one part of the state to another, but it was historically counteracted with accretion of sediments brought to the coastal marshes through annual flooding of the Mississippi River and organic accumulation through continued growth and deposition of vegetated material. 

Compounding the problem of subsidence is the gradual rise in sea level which may be a result of a rise in global temperatures from rising atmospheric carbon dioxide levels or damage to the ozone layer. 

In the 19th and 20th centuries, Louisiana’s wetlands provided sustenance to many communities.  As communities settled in the wetlands, conflicts with nature began.  Wetlands were drained for agriculture, levees were constructed for flood protection, canals were dredged for ease of navigation, wetland forests were harvested for building materials, and in the early to mid-20th century, oil and gas exploration activities increased the dredging of canals. 

Herbivory on wetland plants by nutria (Myocastor coypus) is also a major cause of wetland loss in coastal Louisiana.  Nutria were accidentally introduced to Louisiana from the escape of a captive population during a hurricane in the 1930’s.  These herbivores thrive in the Louisiana marsh and graze heavily on marsh vegetation.

Louisiana’s Wetlands:  A Valuable Resource

Every year, Louisiana’s coast provides billions of dollars in national resources and services – assets that greatly enhance our nation’s security and well-being.  Because the health of this region so directly affects the daily life of our nation’s citizens, it is referred to as “America’s Wetland.” 

Industrial Infrastructure.  More than 80% of the nation’s offshore oil and gas is produced off Louisiana’s coast, and 25% of the nation’s foreign and domestic oil comes ashore on Louisiana roads and waterways.  The coastal zone also contains the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port; over 43,000 oil and gas wells; two storage sites for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve; and the Henry Hub, one of the nation’s major natural gas distribution centers.  Louisiana has 3,819 vendors and equipment suppliers in 165 different communities to service this array of infrastructure.  These suppliers received an estimated $2.4 billion in oil and gas related business in 1992 (Waldemar S. Nelson & Company, 2002).

Transportation Infrastructure.  Louisiana’s coast is a national hub for navigation.  Nearly 3,000 miles of deep and shallow-draft channels are located in the wetlands (Waldemar S. Nelson & Company, 2002).  Five of the nation’s 15 largest ports are located in south Louisiana, and these facilities carry 18% of all waterborne commerce by tonnage in the United States each year (USACE, 2007).

Water Quality.  The Mississippi River Basin terminates in Louisiana’s coastal zone, bringing with it nutrient rich runoff from 31 states and two Canadian provinces.  Today, levees channel most of this runoff into the Gulf of Mexico.  Before the levees were built, however, Louisiana’s wetlands filtered many of these sediments and nutrients, converting them into biologically useful materials.  This purification function has an estimated mean value of $325 per acre per year (Waldemar S. Nelson & Company, 2002).

Fisheries.  Each year, Louisiana’s commercial and recreational fishing industries contribute $3.5 billion and over 40,000 jobs to the state’s economy (Southwick Associates, 1997).  Approximately 21% of the fish harvested by weight in the lower 48 states comes from Louisiana’s coastal zone (USDOC, 2007).  The annual economic impact of recreational fishing can amount to between $895 million (LDWF, 2005) and $1.2 billion (Gentner et al, 2001).

Coastal Communities.  Over two million people live in Louisiana’s coastal zone, and the wetlands are an integral part of life for many residents.  The wetlands provide the setting for the region’s primary economic activities, such as navigation and oil and gas production.  In addition, the cultural impact of the ecosystem can be traced to traditions of music, food, and living off the land that continue to this day.  Much of what gives Louisiana its unique heritage finds its roots in the coast.

Storm Protection.  Every 2.7 miles of wetlands may absorb an average of one foot of storm surge (USACE, 1963).  Louisiana’s wetlands thus create a natural buffer zone on which all of the infrastructure and communities located in the coastal zone depend.  Using one estimate, the coast’s 2.5 million acres of wetlands have annual storm protection values of between $520 million and $2.2 billion (Costanza, Farber, and Maxwell, 1989). 

Habitats.  Louisiana’s wetlands provide habitats for thousands of plant and animal species.  The intrinsic value of these lands as a haven for wildlife is felt by all who visit, and as such, the wetlands represent a precious aspect of our nation’s natural heritage.  In addition, hiking, bird watching, photography, and camping in south Louisiana contribute more than $220 million annually to Louisiana’s economy (Coreil, 1994).

Current Efforts to Save Louisiana’s Wetlands

The State of Louisiana has initiated a series of programs to offset the catastrophic loss of coastal wetlands.  The Louisiana State and Local Coastal Resources Management Act was passed in 1978 to regulate the developmental activities that affect wetland loss.  The resulting Louisiana Coastal Resources Program became a federally approved coastal zone management program in 1980.  Responding to the crisis at hand, the Louisiana Legislature passed Act 6 of the second extraordinary session of 1989 (R.S.49:213-214), and a subsequent constitutional amendment which created the Coastal Restoration Division (CRD) within the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources (LDNR), as well as the Wetlands Conservation and Restoration Authority (Wetlands Authority). 

In the wake of the devastation caused by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, it became apparent that coastal restoration and coastal protection (e.g., levees) must work together.  In the First Extraordinary Session, 2005 of the Louisiana Legislature, which ended on November 22, 2005, Senate Bill No. 71 (Act No. 8) overwhelmingly passed.  The bill provides for a new 16-member panel, called the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority, which is a broader version of the previous board that was named the Wetlands Conservation and Restoration Authority.   In addition, Senate Bill No. 71 also provides for the establishment of the Coastal Protection and Restoration Fund, previously named the Wetlands Conservation and Restoration Fund.  The Fund is used for coastal wetlands conservation, coastal restoration, hurricane protection, and infrastructure impacted by coastal wetland losses.  A constitutional amendment, which must be voted on by the citizens of Louisiana, will be required to ratify the new Fund.  The newly authorized Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority shall (1) represent the State’s position in policy implementation relative to coastal protection, conservation, and restoration; (2) develop, coordinate, make reports on and provide oversight for a comprehensive coastal protection master plan and annual coastal protection plans; (3) submit these plans to the Legislature; (4) approve funding appropriations from the Coastal Protection and Restoration Fund; and (5) enforce compliance with the comprehensive master coastal protection plan.

The Department of Natural Resources is involved in several major programs that are working to save Louisiana’s coastal wetlands.  These programs include the Breaux Act, Coast 2050, the Louisiana Coastal Area (LCA) Ecosystem Restoration Plan, and the Coastal Impact Assistance Plan of 2005.   Other programs include state restoration projects, State Surplus, PCWRP, Vegetation Plantings, Section 204/1135, and WRDA.

References

Coreil, P.  1994.  Wetlands functions and values in Louisiana.  Baton Rouge:  Louisiana State University, Cooperative Extension Service.  Pub. 2519.  11p.

Costanza, R., S. Farber, and J. Maxwell.  1989.  Valuation and management of wetland ecosystems.  Ecological Economics.  1:335-361.

Gentner, B., M. Price, and S. Steinback.  2001. Marine Angler Expenditures in the Southeast Region, 1999.  U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service. NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-F/SPO-48.
http://www.st.nmfs.noaa.gov/st5/RecEcon/Publications/NMFS_F_SPO_48_revised.pdf

Louisiana Coastal Wetlands Conservation and Restoration Task Force and the Wetlands Conservation and Restoration Authority (LCWCRTF and WCRA).  1998.  Coast 2050: Toward a Sustainable Coastal Louisiana.  Baton Rouge, LA: Louisiana Department of Natural Resources.  161 pp.

Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. 2005. The Economic Benefits of Fisheries, Wildlife and Boating Resources in the State of Louisiana. Baton Rouge, LA.

Penland, S., I.A. Mendelssohn, L. Wayne, and D. Britsch.  1996.  Natural and human causes of coastal land loss in Louisiana – workshop summary.  Baton Rouge, LA; Coastal Studies Institute, Wetland Biochemistry Institute, Louisiana State University.  25 pp.

Southwick Associates.  1997.  The economic benefits of fisheries, wildlife and boating resources in the state of Louisiana.  Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.  21pp.

U.S. Code.  2004 ed.  Title 16, Chapter 59A.  “Wetlands.”
http://straylight.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/uscode16/usc_sec_16_00003952----000-.html

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE).  1963.  Overland surge elevations coastal Louisiana:  Morgan City and vicinity.  File No. H-2-22758, Plate A-4.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE).  2007.  Waterborne commerce of the United States, Calendar Year 2005. Part 5 - National Summaries. Alexandria, VA: Institute for Water Resources, U. S. Army Corps of Engineers.
http://www.iwr.usace.army.mil/ndc/wcsc/pdf/wcusnatl05.pdf

U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service. 2007. Fisheries of the United States, 2006. Silver Spring, MD.
http://www.st.nmfs.gov/st1/fus/fus06/index.html

U.S. Geological Service (USGS).  2003.  100+ years of land change for coastal Louisiana.  Unpublished manuscript by Jimmy Johnston.  700 Cajundome Blvd., Lafayette, LA  70506.

Waldemar S. Nelson and Company, Inc.  2002.  Louisiana Coastal Area Restoration Feasibility Study economic linkages literature review.  Nelson Project No. 20010052.  A report to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans District and the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources.