Habitat Restoration
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Why is Habitat Restoration Important?
Habitat restoration is important because it helps ensure ecosystem services to all living creatures, such as food, clean air and water, shelter and materials, along with many other services. “Habitat” refers to where people and animals live and inhabit, and therefore includes all types of ecosystems, including aquatic (therefore encompasses water quality). The environment works as an interrelated, and interdependent system and food web, what happens uphill, or upstream can affect what happens downhill and downstream, and therefore habitat restoration has the potential to improve water quality, especially in those waterbodies nearest to the restoration site, or associated watershed, respectively.
Wetlands and water exist in low-lying areas within the landscape, but are affected by activity uphill, or upstream from them. In the case of Lake Pontchartrain, its watershed encompasses a large portion of the State of Louisiana, as well as some of Mississippi. Many different land types exist, and different land uses take place within its watershed Basin. Habitat restoration is critical in helping to maintain and improve the uses of the Pontchartrain Basin.
Types of Important Habitat Identified
The Comprehensive Habitat Management Plan (CHMP) helps bring focus to varying types of habitat, to include canebrake habitats of giant/switch cane (Arundinaria gigantea) and forested ecosystems such as Long Leaf Pine Forests (pinus palustris), Swamp Tupelo (nyssa sylvatica), and Bald Cypress (taxodium distichum), the later of which is the state tree of Louisiana. The CHMP also mentions protection of shoreline habitat, creation of conservation and preservation areas, river diversions, and restoration of mining operations.
The Comprehensive Conservation Management Plan (CCMP) and CHMP both bring a key focus to wetlands. Wetlands encompass many different habitat types, including forested areas, which are often referred to as swamps. Common references to wetlands include oceans, lakes, ponds, streams/rivers, and estuaries, to name a few. There are many different types of wetlands, and different systems of classifying wetlands.
Additional Resources
- To learn about Eco-Regions, please visit EPA’s website dedicated to Eco-Regions: https://www.epa.gov/eco-research/ecoregions
- For more information on wetlands please visit EPA’s website for Wetlands Protection and Restoration:https://www.epa.gov/wetlands
- To connect with the Louisiana Department of Fish & Wildlife to learn more about habitat in Louisiana: https://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/
- To connect with the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks to learn more about habitat in Mississippi: https://www.mdwfp.com/