Coastal Wetlands

A line of development stretches across Southwest Louisiana, where a new law looks to redefine what wetland areas need permitting for development.

Coastal Desk

Revised wetlands protection laws in Louisiana, other states open door to development

Elise Plunk (Louisiana Illuminator)

Critics say the weakened standards could worsen flooding and destroy vital habitat.

An aerial view of the Wax Lake Delta on the coast of Louisiana. The delta is one of the few places along Louisiana’s coast that is building land instead of losing it.

Coastal Desk

‘A living laboratory’: An accidental delta taught Louisiana scientists how to rebuild wetlands

Eva Tesfaye

While the science is clear – wetlands have lots of benefits and we know how to build more of them – the future is not. The growing Wax Lake Delta provided data for the now-stalled Mid-Barataria sediment diversion, which is designed to rebuild wetlands in nine parishes along the Louisiana Gulf Coast.

Wetlands like Wax Lake Delta along Louisiana’s coast store massive amounts of carbon, which can contribute to CO2 emissions when lost.

Coastal Desk

Louisiana’s wetlands store massive amounts of carbon. They also contribute to emissions when lost.

Elise Plunk (Louisiana Illuminator)

Louisiana’s wetlands are one of the planet’s most vital carbon storage centers, but destroying these reservoirs can accelerate harmful emissions that intensify global warming, according to experts.

Arts & Culture

'Cry You One': A Play About The Wetlands, In The Wetlands

Local theater companies Mondo Bizarro and Artspot Productions have collaborated for the third time with Cry You One. A three-hour experience that takes…