Louisiana's Future Without Action

If coastal restoration action does not address Louisiana’s land loss crisis, the future of coastal communities is bleak. Seafood landings will decline, oil and gas exploration and production infrastructure investments will be lost, and tourism opportunities will dwindle. Additionally, rural communities and urban centers located near the Gulf Coast (such as New Orleans, Houma and Lake Charles) will become much more vulnerable to tidal surges from tropical storms and hurricanes.

Many coastal planners believe some coastal communities will have to relocate north, leaving many Louisiana parishes with declining populations and unsustainable economies. Traditional natural resource-related jobs in commercial fishing, trapping, alligator hunting, and sport hunting and fishing enterprises will become more at risk, and the ability of state and local governments to deliver vital public services will be challenged. Overall coastal infrastructure losses could easily end up being in the billions of dollars.

Additionally, increased coastal risks may hinder business investments, reduce property values and ultimately result in the decline of Louisiana’s unique, wetland-dependent culture made up of Acadians (Cajuns), eastern Europeans, Chinese, Italians, Spanish, Africans, Filipinos and American Indians, to name a few.