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.