Table 3.1. Socioeconomic components and ecologically sensitive activities generated by 

 thenL The matrix identifies major activities associated with each sector of 

 the economy. 



Ecologically sensitive activities 



Economic sectors 



Natural resource exploitation 



3 



■a 



e 



3 



o 



60 



.3 



Commercial fishing 

 & trapping 



Recreational fishing 

 & hunting 



Agriculture 



Mineral extraction 



Resident population 



Commerce & industry 



Port & navigation 



Highways, rails, airports 



Government services 









• • 



The primary ways in which socioeconomic sectors 

 interact with natural processes are in (1) waste gen- 

 eration, when industrial or domestic pollutants are 

 discharged into the basin; (2) habitat modification, 

 when spoil banks arc created, wetlands impounded, 

 or upland forests cleared for agriculture; and (3) na- 

 tural resource exploitation, including water use and 

 refuge creation. 



Overview. The Chenier Plain region is predomi- 

 natly a rural and agrarian area, and tlie population 

 density is low because the extensive wetlands are un- 

 suitable for urban development (table 3.2). The west- 

 ern edge of Sabine Lake in the Sabine Basin is, in con- 

 trast, heavily industrialized. In addition, major urban 

 areas occur just north of the Chenier Plain boundaries, 

 and these have a major impact on the Chenier Plain. 

 North of the Vermilion Basin lies the city of Lafayette. 

 Several farming communities-Crowley, Rayne, and 

 Jennings-are lorth of the Mermentau and Chenier 

 basins. Lake ' harles is the major industrial metropol- 

 itan area th lies along the northern border of the 

 Calcasieu P n ; the entire Texas coast north and west 

 of the Sa' i and East Bay basins is heavily indus- 

 trialized 



Given the population distribution, it is to be 

 expected tliat the impact of human, industrial, and 

 urban development on all basins of the Chenier 

 Plain except Sabine Basin woidd come from adjacent 

 inland areas, whereas commercial exploitation of the 

 natural renewable resources through agriculture, 

 trapping, and fishing is by the resident population. 

 However, the major pressure on noncommercial 

 sportfish and wildlife is from individuals who live 

 outside the Chenier Plain boundary. 



The four sectors that directly harvest the region's 

 resources are (1) mineral extraction, (2) agriculture, 

 (3) commercial trapping and fishing, and (4) recrea- 

 tional fishing and hunting. This section will discuss 

 the ecological impacts of these sectors; of the resident 

 population; of transportation development, particu- 

 larly for navigation; and of the local, State, and 

 Federal governments. 



28 



