Habitat changes can occur due to many activities. Sediment loss, in conjunction with the natural sinking of the marsh, is by far the most significant problem in our estuary. Sea-level rise and erosion also contribute to our wetland loss problem. Human activities such as canal dredging, subsurface fluid removal, and construction of navigation channels and overgrazing by exotic mammals, such as nutria, can destroy plant communities that hold soil in place. Studies have indicated that hurricane damage increases in marshes that have been heavily grazed by nutria. Land loss is not evenly distributed across Barataria-Terrebonne. "Hot spots" of accelerated land loss can be seen at the southern most tip of the basins near the mouth of the Mississippi River in the Barataria basin, moving northward in a narrow band following the river and extending westward to Bayou Perot and Rigolettes. A second hot spot occurs along western Barataria Bay to the Gulf. In Terrebonne, the area of greatest marsh loss occurs in the marshes north of Terrebonne Bay, extending south along the western edge of Terrebonne Bay. |
