Wetland Loss in Coastal Louisiana Drives Significant Resident Population Declines

Bernardo A. Bastien-Olvera (), David Batker, Jared Soares, John Day, Luke Boutwell and Tania Briceno
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Bernardo A. Bastien-Olvera: Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA 92093, USA
David Batker: Batker Consulting LLC, Tacoma, WA 98444, USA
Jared Soares: Batker Consulting LLC, Tacoma, WA 98444, USA
John Day: Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences, School of the Coast & Environment, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA
Luke Boutwell: Mather Consulting Group, Atlanta, GA 30350, USA
Tania Briceno: Intrinsic Exchange Group, Washington, DC 20011, USA

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 11, 1-11

Abstract: Despite increased hurricane intensity, the U.S. Gulf of Mexico coast has experienced dramatic coastal population increase of 24.5% from 2000 to 2016. However, in areas of coastal Louisiana with dramatic wetland loss, parishes have experienced population declines and lower rates of population growth. Therefore, understanding the magnitude of the effect of wetland loss as a main driver of population loss in coastal Louisiana is critical. Using regression analysis, this study finds that wetland loss has a significant and persistent negative effect on population growth in coastal Louisiana. This effect resulted in a reduction in the population growth rate in coastal parishes over time. A counterfactual simulation was conducted to estimate the potential population size in the absence of wetland loss from 1990 to 2021. On average, the effect of 1 hectare of wetland lost causes a reduction of approximately 1000 persons. This indicates that for the year 2021, the population was approximately 18% lower than the population that would have existed in the absence of wetland loss. This research underscores the role of wetlands in providing direct and indirect benefits to people in coastal Louisiana that are ultimately reflected in its population levels.

Keywords: population loss; wetland loss; land cover (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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