Other Impacts From Coastal Wetland Loss
Louisiana ranks first in the nation in total shipping tonnage, handling more than 450 million tons of cargo a year through its deep-draft ports of New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lake Charles, South Louisiana, Plaquemines Parish and St. Bernard. The ports between Baton Rouge and New Orleans are the largest by tonnage carried in the world and serve the entire eastern part of the country.
At the foot of the Mississippi’s 19,000-mile river system lie the six deep-water ports of southern Louisiana. These outlets to the world handle more than 450 million tons of cargo annually — much of it in exports from industry and agriculture throughout the nation. Continued wetlands loss will ultimately expose several of these ports to open water, rendering them vulnerable to severe damage from hurricanes and tropical storms. Losing these ports would paralyze not only Louisiana but also the rest of the nation.
The state’s wetlands and barrier islands protect this internationally important port system, as well as navigation channels, waterways and anchorages from winds and waves. At present land loss rates, more than 155 miles of waterways will be exposed to open water in 50 years, leaving this key port system at risk and businesses throughout the nation losing preferred links to European and Pacific Rim markets.
Because of our coastal marshes and barrier islands, Louisiana’s commercial and recreational fisheries are among the most abundant in America, providing 25 to 35 percent of the nation’s total catch. Louisiana is first in the annual harvest of oysters, crabs and menhaden, and is a top producer of shrimp. Some of the best recreational saltwater fishing in North America exists off Louisiana’s coast. The reason for this abundance is that our coastal marshes provide the nursery for young fish and shellfish.
Herons (top) and roseate spoonbills are
just two of the many species that inhabit Louisiana’s coastal marshes.
Loss of this precious habitat could lead to the long-term demise of a
wide variety of coastal wildlife. The long-term impacts of wetland loss relate to many species of fish and shellfish that depend on these habitats, translating into economic losses that affect the entire region and the nation. Nearly all Louisiana commercial species use the marsh at some stage of their life cycle, and fisheries loss will be proportional to marsh loss. By the year 2050, the annual loss of commercial fisheries will be nearly $550 million. For recreational fisheries, the total loss will be close to $200 million a year.
Louisiana’s coastal wetlands provide a diverse habitat for many wildlife communities. The wetlands provide life cycle needs for resident species and wintering habitat for migratory waterfowl and other birds. Land loss and habitat change by the year 2050 will affect the nation’s wildlife population. Sea birds, wading birds and shore birds are expected to decrease, along with raptors and woodland birds. Alligators and furbearers will decrease in certain areas of the coast, as will the abundance of ducks and geese.
Louisiana’s cities and coastal communities are at great risk as the wetlands and barrier islands disappear, leaving people with no buffer from storm surges and the force of high winds. Miles of hurricane protection levees will be exposed to open water conditions, forcing widespread relocation and abandonment of coastal communities.
Wetlands create friction and reduce high winds when hurricanes hit. They also absorb hurricane storm surges. Scientists estimate that every 2.7 miles of wetlands absorbs one foot of storm surge. The 3.5 million acres of wetlands that line Louisiana’s coast today have storm protection values of $728 million to $3.1 billion. The recent strike of Hurricane Georges, just a few miles east, brought home just how devastating a direct hit to New Orleans would be. The potential loss of life and property is incomprehensible, and the threat of disaster was not lost on the city’s residents. Bumper-to-bumper traffic snaked out of the city north and west for hours as more than one million people evacuated the Crescent City. Hotel space was scarce as far north as Memphis.
With the loss of barrier islands and wetlands over the next 50 years, New Orleans will be a Gulf Coast city and will lose its wetland buffer that now protects it from many effects of flooding. Hurricanes will pose the greatest threat, since New Orleans sits on a sloping continental shelf that makes it extremely vulnerable to storm surges.
More than two million people in inland south Louisiana will be subject to more severe and frequent flooding than ever before. Coastal communities will become shorefront towns, and the economic and cultural costs of relocation are estimated in the billions of dollars.
We expect an increase in homeowner and commercial insurance rates by 20 percent in some cases. Insurance coverage for wind damage may be discontinued, deductibles will increase by 20 percent by next year, and large insurance companies will stop issuing new policies in the coastal zone.
South Louisiana’s unique culture is a national treasure, and the very fabric of its distinct way of life is being eroded with the coast at great intangible cost to the nation and the world.