Works Cited

1) "About CWPPRA." About CWPPRA. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Nov. 2012. 

         <http://www.lacoast.gov/new/About/Default.aspx>.   

2) "America's WETLAND: Resource Center." America's WETLAND: Resource Center. N.p., n.d. 
          Web. 26 Nov. 2012. <http://www.americaswetlandresources.com/index.html>.

3) "Coast 2050: Toward a Sustainable Coastal Louisiana." N.p., 1998. Web. 25 Nov. 2012. 

           <http://www.coast2050.gov/report.pdf>.

4) "Feature Story: Regaining Ground: In Aftermath of Katrina and Rita, Scientists Make Case 

           for Coastal Recovery Balancing Ecology with Economy." Feature Story: Regaining 

           Ground: In Aftermath of Katrina and Rita, Scientists Make Case for Coastal 

           Recovery Balancing Ecology with Economy. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2012. 

           <http://www.utexas.edu/features/2006/coastal/index.html>.

5) "Louisiana Wetlands." - Pictures, More From National Geographic Magazine. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 
            Nov. 2012. <http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2004/10/louisiana-wetlands/bourne-text>.

6) Tibbetts, John. "A River and a City." National Center for Biotechnology Information. U.S. 

            National Library of Medicine, 26 June 2005. Web. 26 Nov. 2012.

           <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1332684/>.

7) "Wetlands." - MicrobeWiki. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Nov. 2012. 

           http://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php/Wetlands.

8) "Wetland Loss In Louisiana." Wetland Loss In Louisiana. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Nov. 2012. 

            <http://lacoast.gov/reports/rtc/1997/5.htm>.
9) "Land Area Change in Coastal Louisiana from 1932 to 2010." N.p., 2011. Web. 26 Nov. 2012. 
            <http://pubs.usgs.gov/sim/3164/downloads/SIM3164_Pamphlet.pdf>.

Land Change for Coastal Louisiana

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Wetland loss is a pressing issue.  As shown on the table above, coastal Louisiana has changed rapidly due to human development, thus causing government projects like the Coast 2050 and the Coastal Wetland Planning, Protection, and Restoration Act of 1990 to become vital for the survival of the ecosystem.

How Can Human Impact on the Louisiana Wetlands be Improved?

     As aforementioned, the Louisiana Wetlands have suffered greatly over the last few decades due to human impact.  Humans have set out on urban, agricultural, and residential development without ever considering the negative effect that it would have on the wetlands.  Because of this, one of the major ways to diminish human impact on the ecosystem is to impart knowledge on the general American population about how the ecosystem benefits Louisiana's residents as well as the rest of country's population.  However, preventing human impact is not enough; the Louisiana Wetlands need not only be preserved, they must also be restored.  Aside from human impact, there are natural cycles that cause the disappearance of wetlands.  In order to restore the ecosystem, government projects like the Coast 2050 must be enforced.  The Coast 2050 is a plan that combines all previous and new efforts of wetland restoration.  Its ultimate goal is, "to sustain a coastal ecosystem that supports and protects the environment, economy and culture of southern Louisiana, and that contributes greatly to the economy and well-being of the nation" (Coast 2).  Along with the Coast 2050, the Coastal Wetland Planning, Protection, and Restoration Act from 1990 is still active and working towards the slowing of wetland loss, developing and utilizing restoration techniques, among other things.  As long as these groups continue to work towards wetland restoration, the Louisiana Wetlands have a chance at survival and prosperity. 

(Picture Source 1)

The Future Prospects of the Louisiana Wetlands

     Prior to Hurricane Katrina (2005), Hurricane Rita (2005), and the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico (2010), Congress passed a few acts, like the 1990 Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection, and Restoration Act, to restore the Louisiana Wetlands.  Unfortunately, the restoration of the wetlands was never a governmental focus prior to the natural disasters of 2005.  Because of this, the wetlands were greatly diminished by 2005, making them a vulnerable target during hurricane season.  After Katrina took its toll on the inhabitants of New Orleans, Americans came to realize just how important the Louisiana Wetlands really are to their safety and overall well being.  Because of this, it seems as if the restoration of the wetlands is likely to become a major project in the near future.  However, there is much debate and speculation on how to go about restoring the wetlands, creating a delay in action and causing additional loss.  It is estimated that if nothing is done to stop the process of wetland loss, Louisiana is likely to lose an additional seven hundred square miles of wetland by 2050, meaning that one-third of 1930s coastal Louisiana will have vanished.  As a result of this, cities like New Orleans will become even more vulnerable to storms, making another Katrina a likely possibility.  

 

(Picture Source 1)

Human Impact on the Louisiana Wetlands

    Humans have had a tremendously negative impact on the Louisiana Wetlands. From its Mississippi border to its Texas border, Louisiana is losing its fringe of marshes and barrier islands faster than any other wetland in the United States. This creates a major issue in Louisiana due to the wetland's vital role in this area. Wetlands aid in the protection of over two million Americans in Louisiana from hurricane damage, it houses seventy-nine species of endangered plants and animals that can only survive in said wetlands, and its fishing  shipping, oil and gas, and tourism industries make up a large portion of the American economy.  Finally, and most importantly, the wetlands produce and/or transports more than a third of the United States' oil and a quarter of it's natural gas.

     Since 1930, approximately 1900 square miles of coastal wetlands have vanished beneath the Gulf of Mexico. The wetlands have been disappearing for thousands of years due to nature, but human intervention has caused the disappearance to accelerate at alarming rates. While there have been and continue to be efforts to protect the Louisiana Wetlands, the state continues to lose about twenty-five square miles of land per year. While most of the loss has been due to urban, agricultural, and residential development, much of the loss has been caused indirectly to satisfy the nation's need for energy. For example, the building of levees has led to the prevention of sediment replenishment from the overflow of the Mississippi river. Furthermore, oil and gas exploration and pipeline canals have allowed salt water to invade the freshwater areas, thus causing the sediments to sink and the sea level to rise.

Louisiana Wetlands Historical State

     United States wetlands have been disappearing at vast rates over the last 200years due to the draining, filling, leveling, and flooding of said wetlands for urban, agricultural, and residential development. However, unlike most of the other wetlands in the country, the Louisiana Wetlands have been growing and deteriorating due to natural causes for thousands of years. Until recently, wetland loss in Louisiana had been balanced by natural wetland building processes, but they are now being lost at an unsustainable rate. As a result, the loss of wetland is threatening the ecosystem’s sustainability. Wetlands serve many useful purposes, the most important of which has to do with their ability to reduce storm surges with their porous soils, thus protecting countless lives. Because scientists have finally deemed wetland preservation necessary, efforts to maintain them have been instated.

The effects of Katrina

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Back in 2005, Hurricane Katrina managed to destroy and ruin countless lives.  Many individuals continue to suffer because of it.  Lamentably, Hurricane Katrina's effects on New Orleans and its surrounding areas could have been cushioned by the Louisiana Wetlands; "these lost wetlands could have significantly reduced the storm surge and prevented the loss of hundreds of lives."  Had humans attempted to preserve the wetlands, rather than destroy them, the effects of Hurricane Katrina could have been minimized.