An overview of the history of coastal restoration plans and programs in Louisiana

摘要

Louisiana's Coastal Wetlands Protection and Restoration Program, which was designed to restore degrading deltaic wetlands and barrier islands, has matured from inception by early state conservationists decades ago to the present. Now a body of restoration law guides restoration and protection efforts that are manifested in Louisiana's Coastal Master Plan and federal Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) documents. While developing these plans, managers took advantage of decades of restoration experience that included hydrologic basin-specific restoration measures while accessing modern research from coastal science and engineering. Contemporary research offers various analytical methods including a suite of modeling tools that were unavailable to coastal scientists, managers, and engineers in the past. Over time, these technical advances along with an increased understanding of coastal processes have improved the science and engineering of coastal restoration, and coastal policy and planning have evolved with various legislative initiatives. It should be appreciated that developments of plans/programs over the years have culminated in the development of a much reviewed and refined plan which is available for implementation. This paper reviews some historical aspects of these developments in Louisiana's efforts to restore coastal Louisiana including the severely deteriorating Mississippi River Delta Plain (MRDP).