Building community and coastal resilience to a changing Louisiana coastline through restoration of key ecosystem functions

This is your shield... this is your estuary

The coastal communities of Louisiana are highly vulnerable to coastal change, yet the population has remained steady in the midst of highly dynamic environmental, social, and economic conditions. Adaptations in the form of social networks, mobility, and ingenuity have enabled Louisiana’s coastal communities to remain viable, although changed over time. Much of Louisiana’s coastal zone is outside of the current system of hard infrastructure (primarily levee) protection. Therefore, the potential benefits of protecting, restoring, and enhancing intact ecosystems—including the potential benefits in terms of providing protection from waves and surge, and provision of fisheries and livelihoods—is particularly important to the highly vulnerable communities of the region. This document aims to provide key insights and communication tools that can assist in filling this knowledge gap through development of synthesized information on the potential of ecosystem-based adaptation approaches to build community resilience in coastal Louisiana, combining both technical scientific and community input.

Keywords: coastal resilience, Louisiana, ecosystem functions, communities, marsh