None The Nature Conservancy in Louisiana Press Releases Search All Press Releases Cindy Brown Director of Coastal and Marine Conservation The Nature Conservancy of Louisiana 225-338-1040

Louisiana Coastal and Marine Conservation Program in the Wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita

Nature Conservancy Supports Coastal Restoration Plan for Louisiana

It has been some weeks now since Hurricanes Katrina and Rita delivered their one-two punch to the coast of Louisiana. Any person living in this area, or anyone that knows someone living here, has experienced a direct loss from these powerful storms. How does one even begin to grasp the notion that our neighborhoods and neighbors, that have sustained and nurtured us over the generations, have been washed to sea; or that one of the most unique and rich cultures the world has ever seen has disappeared in a matter of hours?

The towns and cities of the precarious Louisiana coast are here by design. It is the abundance of natural resources found here, and our strategic location, that lured this nation’s early settlers to the area. But the land is sinking, the sea is rising, and the great expanse of marsh here – the largest in the nation at some 3.5 million acres – is deteriorating due to the levees along the Mississippi River that prevent spring flooding, the flooding which allows the delivery of sediment and freshwater.

Still, coastal Louisiana continues to deliver much of the nation’s natural resources cache. We have the largest fisheries in the lower 48 states and lead in crab, shrimp, oyster, and menhaden production. We produce or transport fully one third of the nation’s oil and gas supply though thousands of miles of pipelines. And south Louisiana houses the single largest port complex in the world.

The ecotourism industry is booming as residents and visitors have come to appreciate the beauty and biological uniqueness of Louisiana’s coastal landscape:

• The nation's largest concentration of colonial nesting wading birds and sea birds (approximately 200 colonies and over 300,000 nesting pairs), including the largest known nesting colonies of many species (a number of colonies exceed 10,000 nesting pairs);
• Over 25% of the nation's nesting population of several species, including Forester's tern, great blue heron, snowy egret, little blue heron, and tricolored heron;
• Huge numbers of neotropical migratory songbirds that rely on Louisiana’s coastal woodlands during inclement weather;
• 79 plant and animal species considered rare, threatened, or endangered (over 20 G3 or rarer);
• Diverse habitats for species such as federally listed gulf sturgeon, Kemp's ridley sea turtle, brown pelican, piping plover, bald eagle, Louisiana black bear; and
• 75% of the Mississippi and Central flyways wintering waterfowl (over 5 million ducks and geese annually).

State and federal governments, academics, and non-governmental organizations have spent a decade crafting a restoration plan for coastal Louisiana, a plan that The Nature Conservancy supports. It comes with a hefty price tag – $14 billion. Central to the plan is the notion of re-coupling the Mississippi River with its floodplain and reinforcing the barrier island system. These actions will restore coastal processes and the health of the biodiversity found there, while offering a first line of defense for coastal communities during storm events. A strong science program, led by coastal ecologists and engineers from across the country and world, is an integral component of the overall design.

While expensive, the cost to restore Louisiana’s coast doesn’t begin to approach the full cost to rebuild the human and natural communities now ravaged by the storms. Some estimates put this figure at well over $200 billion.

The immediate response of The Nature Conservancy in the wake of the storms has been to work with partners to coordinate and communicate assessment efforts; to create opportunities for increased involvement of interdisciplinary scientific community in policy decisions that will guide restoration of coastal and human communities, and; provide expert comment on supplemental bills that address near-term, short-term and long-term restoration needs of the coast.

Over the coming months and years, The Nature Conservancy is committed to supporting the long-term funding and planning for coastal restoration, while working pursuing current opportunities to acquire and restore key tracts of coastal land.  The Nature Conservancy will continue to promote the importance of ecosystem diversity through the preservation of unique habitats such as shellfish, seagrass, cheniers, coastal forests and barrier islands.

The statistics are staggering – the biological value of the Louisiana coast, the loss of this and human infrastructure, the cost to rebuild. As we move forward in the hard-hit Gulf Coast, wrestling with the enormous challenges of restoring and protecting globally important natural systems, while remaining ever-cognizant and responsive to the needs of humankind, we will need the insight and interest of our supporters more than ever.

For More Information:

• Press Release: Statement from Louisiana State Director Keith Ouchley on the Aftermath of the Hurricanes
  While Louisiana has suffered an almost unimaginable loss from the recent hurricane, we are fortunate to report that all of our staff and trustees are safe and secure.
• Press Release: Early Assessment of Impacts of Hurricane Katrina and Rita to Affected Louisiana Preserves
  After Hurricanes Katrina and Rita ravaged much of Louisiana's coastal areas, Nature Conservancy staff set out to visit all of the affected preserves.