| Rethinking the Atchafalaya Basin as a Reservoir of Ecological Diversity during Trying Times |
PRESENTATION
G.P. Kemp pkemp@audubon.org
Gulf Coast Initiative, National Audubon Society, 633 Magnolia Wood Ave., Baton Rouge, LA 70808
Abstract
The Quaternary geology of the Atchafalaya River provides insight into how this unique river and its lacustrine deltaic basin can contribute to the success of efforts to sustain Louisiana’s coastal wetlands and enhance the reliability of flood protection measures proposed for coastal communities. The basin through which the Atchafalaya flows is commonly discussed as an emergency river flood outlet, a critical way station for migratory birds, a wetland system under assault, or an underused nutrient sink, but it has other important systemic functions that have not been explored. The Atchafalaya Basin has played a role in the past as a refuge for deltaic and estuarine biota during periods of rapid sea level rise and channel abandonment. Today it also supports species that are facing extirpation as a consequence of habitat destruction on the Mississippi and Red Rivers. We discuss how recognition of the Atchafalaya Basin as a reservoir of ecological diversity might influence future management of this system.
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