Overview

Losing our Vital Natural Resources Coastal communities across the Gulf of Mexico are vulnerable to coastal storms and land loss. More than 7,000 square miles of the US Gulf Coast is below 5 feet in elevation and the Gulf Coast has been subject to numerous catastrophic storms since 1900. Furthermore, coastal areas are more vulnerable each year because of sea level rise, coastal wetland loss, coastal development and the likelihood that storms may increase in intensity. These changes threaten buildings, infrastructure, people and natural areas. These natural areas frequently include habitats such as salt marshes, mangroves and oyster reefs that provide valuable ecosystem services or ‘benefits’. These benefits include water quality improvements, shoreline protection, recreation and tourism benefits, and fisheries production. Many coastal communities do not fully understand or recognize that these habitats can provide these benefits. Importantly, coastal communities rarely consider the role that their natural areas can play in reducing erosion and storm impacts. Decision-makers need the best available science and information about the benefits of nature if they are to manage human and natural communities in the face of the storms, sea level rise and habitat loss.

Waves due to boats, storms and currents are eroding away coastal Alabama. These shorelines are important habitats for birds but also fish, shrimp and crabs, acting as “factories” that produce some of our nations best seafood. Photo credit: Jeff DeQuattro/The Nature Conservancy

Socioeconomic

Economic assets at risk

In the Gulf of Mexico, storms, sea level rise and coastal erosion threaten millions of people, local businesses and the overall resiliency of the natural systems and coastal infrastructure. In 2005 alone, as a result of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, flood insurance policy holders in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas submitted over 165,000 flood insurance claims to the NFIP, totaling $16 billion in paid claims. The number of claims submitted to the NFIP in 2005 was more than the combined total number of claims from the preceding 35 years of the NFIP’s existence.

More than 7,000 square miles of the Gulf Coast including large urban centers like Houston and New Orleans lie only 4 feet above existing sea. These low-lying areas include vital infrastructure assets such as interstates, rail lines, ports, and airports that are essential to the local and national economy. Due, in part, to the gulf’s dramatically high rate of coastal wetland loss, these vital infrastructure assets are at major risk from flooding caused by heavy rain and storm surges. The communities along the Gulf coast have a rich culture that is strongly connected the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. This connection is both social and economic and the livelihoods of many coastal residents depend upon the health of the Gulf. A large segment of the population makes its living from the land and water: fishing, shrimping, tourism, agriculture. Their livelihoods depend on natural resources in a very real way. Any disruptions to the environment—whether natural or man-made—can strike a devastating blow to businesses and communities. The vulnerability of much of the coastal population depends directly upon the health of the Gulf.

Combine these two factors—social vulnerability and exposure to hazards like storms and sea level rise—and you have a region that experiences risk in a fundamental way.

Aerial view of Grand Isle, a barrier island located in the Gulf of Mexico at the mouth of Barataria Bay in Louisiana. Using Reefblk™–a reef design made from American steel—and recycled oyster shells, the Conservancy and its partners created 3-4 miles of oyster reef habitat along the Grand Isle shoreline with the goal of protecting and restoring shoreline habitat and creating living oyster reefs as a sustainable option for reducing erosion of coastal marshes, protecting communities from storm surge. Photo Credit: Erika Nortemann/The Nature Conservancy

Habitats and Species

Healthy habitats and species are essential to the economies and livelihoods of people who live in and depend on the Gulf of Mexico.

Oyster Reefs: play and essential role in ecosystems and economies in the Gulf of Mexico. Most efforts to date include the restoration of oyster reefs that play an important role in protecting shoreline from waves that continue to erode the coast. Click here for more information on the importance of oyster reef habitat. For restoration projects by state:

Alabama – Mobile Bay Alabama – NOAA Restoration Project Louisiana – Oyster restoration overview Louisiana – Vermilion Bay Louisiana – Grand Isle & St. Bernard Marsh Texas – Half Moon reef

Jeff DeQuattro, Marine Program Director for the Nature Conservancy in Alabama examines young oysters growing on artificial reefs at an oyster restoration site at Alabama Port. The 100-1000: Restore Coastal Alabama concept was born out of the success of the Conservancy’s ARRA-funded project which restored nearly 3 miles of oyster reefs in Mobile Bay using three different techniques: bags of oyster shells, Reef Balls and ReefBLK(tm). These same techniques are being used to build the 100 miles of oyster reef for the 100-1000 project. Photo credit: Andrew Kornylak