The Central Southwest Gulf Coast Information Node focus is on three regional themes, which are Wetlands & Coastal Issues, Invasive Species, and Biodiversity & Vital Habitat.

Cypress tree in swamp [Photo courtesy of Texas Parks and Wildlife Department]

WETLANDS & COASTAL ISSUES

The Gulf of Mexico coastal region is home to a number of habitats including but not limited to riparian forests, coastal prairies, salt marshes, seagrass beds, and mangroves. As is often the case when fragile ecosystems and wildlife communities reside alongside areas of human development, a number of stressors exist.

Common Water Hyacinth [Photo:Wilfredo Robles, Mississippi State University, www.forestryimages.org]

INVASIVE SPECIES

Because the region includes many different ecosystems, it contains a large number of invasive species, including species with a high economic impact. CSWGCIN is accumulating datasets that catalog or inventory the invasive species of the region to provide baseline occurrence data.

Armand Bayou [Photo courtesy of the Texas Department of Transportation]

BIODIVERSITY & VITAL HABITAT

Biodiversity is a measure of the variety of plant and animal life in a particular region or ecosystem. A vital habitat is an area considered essential for the conservation of a threatened or endangered species.

The Federal Endangered Species Act of 1973 provides for a number of activities to protect endangered and threatened species. These activities include the protection of vital habitat and the creation of recovery plans for each listed species. Endangered species conservation initiatives and private property rights are often in conflict.