COMPARISON OF EFFECTIVENESS OF MANAGEMENT OPTIONS 

 FOR WETLAND LOSS IN THE COASTAL ZONE OF LOUISIANA 



J.W. Day, Jr. 

 N.J. Craig 



Center for Wetland Resources 



Louisiana State University 



Baton Rouge, LA 70803 



ABSTRACT 



The coastal wetlands of Louisiana, an area of 14,000 krrc (5,400 mi ), are currently 

 experencing an overall net loss of approximately 130 km /yr (50 mi /yr). Various 

 management options have been suggested to combat the problem of wetland loss. This 

 paper examines the effectiveness of three management options: (I) management of the 

 current land building of the Atchafaiaya River, (2) controlled diversion schemes on the 

 lower Mississippi River and (3) strict regulatory control of canals within the coastal 

 zone. 5trict regulatory control of new canalicould reduce future land loss rate by 30 to 

 40 km /yr. This compares with ! to 3 km /yr for controlled diversion plans, and 18 

 km /yr for the land-building processes of the Atchafaiaya River. We conclude that if the 

 problem of wetland loss is to be properly addressed by regulatory agencies, they must 

 make a serious attempt to control canal construction. 



INTRODUCTION 



The coastal wetlands of Louisiana, an areo of approximately 14,000 km^, are 

 experiencing an overall net loss of about 130 km /yr. This includes a loss rate of 102 

 km /yr in the Mississippi deltaic plain (Gagliano 1981) and 26 km /yr in the chenier plain 

 along the southwest Louisiana coast (Gosselink et al. 1979) (see Figure I). The loss is 

 cumulative resulting from both natural and artificial causes. Natural causes include land 

 subsidence, the deterioration of abandoned river deltas, and erosion by wave energy and 

 storms. Human-induced land losses result from flood control practices, impoundments, 

 and the dredging of canals and channels (Craig et al. 1979). Wetland loss in turn creates 

 significant problems: (1) hydrologic changes in the wetland-estuarine system which 

 exacerbates saltwater intrusion and eutrophication; (2) losses in the storm buffering 

 capacity of the wetlands; (3) a decrease in waste assimilating capacity of wetlands; and 

 (4) a diminished nursery area for Louisiana's coastal finfish and shellfish (Craig et al. 

 1979; Hopkinson and Day 1979; Kemp and Day in press). 



The objectives of this study are to describe the factors leading to wetland loss in 

 the Louisiana coastal zone and to evaluate several different management options for 

 dealing with the problem. 



232 



