Table 32. Estimates of the economic value 

 of Louisiana's coastal wetlands comparing 

 willingness-to-pay approaches with energy 

 analysis approaches (Costanza 1983). 



Approach 



Shadow Refer- 

 value* ence 



oriented (Table 33). I will discuss 

 briefly each major issue or problem, 

 bringing in the role of the various human 

 activities as they apply. Since habitat 

 loss (marsh loss) is by far the most 

 pressing problem, it will receive the major 

 emphasis. 



1979 $/acre/yr) 



Willingness-to-pay approaches 

 Consumer surplus 

 Gross benefits 



Average of gross 

 benefits 

 Net benefits 

 Replacement value 



Energy Analysis approaches 

 Biological productivity 



25 

 3 



155 

 241 

 352 

 544 

 231 



342 



237 



,662 



,120 



7,374 

 300 



d 

 b 

 d 



Marsh Loss and Salt Intrusion 



As discussed in Chapter 1 (Figure 23), 

 the rate of marsh loss to open water has 

 been accelerating over the past 50 years 

 to the present rate of about 1.5 percent 

 of the delta marshes being lost annually. 

 Although the circumstances leading to this 

 loss are complex and involve natural 

 processes beyond human control , there is 

 good evidence that a significant part of 

 the problem is a result of human 

 modification of the Mississippi River and 

 the deltaic plain. This discussion will 

 be limited to these latter factors, that 

 is, those which man can hope to manage on a 

 regional scale. 



*Price that would prevail in a perfect 

 market. 



References : 



a - Humphrey et al . 

 b - Gossel ink et al 

 c - Vora 1974 

 d - Costanza 1983 



1978 

 1974 



structures involved. One compromise has 

 been suggested by Lichfield et al. (1975), 

 who used a planning balance sheet to list 

 the major commodities exchanged and to 

 identify the recipients of the cost and 

 the benefits. This procedure ensures that 

 the important factors in the benefit:cost 

 analysis are explicitly recognized rather 

 than being lumped into a single dollar 

 value. 



WETLAND MANAGEMENT 



In the Mississippi River Deltaic 

 Plain the major wetland management issues 

 are marsh loss, salt intrusion, and the 

 maintenance of habitat and water quality. 

 These are interrelated problems. They are 

 affected by a number of human activities, 

 but the major ones can be grouped as 

 either development or conservation- 



All the development activites listed 

 in Table 33 contribute to marsh loss. 

 Reclamation does so because it impounds 

 and drains wetlands, essentially turning 

 them into upland habitat. Although marsh 

 "reclamation" is still occurring, the pace 

 of development is much slower than it was 

 early in this century (Gossel ink et al . 

 1979), and the cost of impounding, 

 draining and maintaining an area is 

 becoming so prohibitive that economics 



Table 33. Major wetland issues and human 

 impacts in Mississippi delta wetlands. 



ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES 



MINERAL 

 EXTRACTON 



FLOOD 

 CONTROL 



NAVIGATION 



O RECLAMATION _ 



HABITAT 

 PROTECTION 

 & ENHANCNG 



HABITAT 

 CREATION 



+ ? 



+ 



89 



