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Habitat Alterations Negatively Impact Coastal Ecological Environment
Historical Comparisons Validate Full Effect of the Destruction
Bison on the coastal plains. Parakeets singing in the cypress. Oyster reefs miles off the Gulf of Mexico's northern coastline. Ecological historical records illustrate a different picture than what we know today-disappearing wetlands and coastal habitats, reduction in seagrasses, and declining productivity of economically valuable fishes.
Dr. Richard Condrey, opened the Communication and Collaboration: A Meeting of Estuary and Wetland Scientists from the U.S. Gulf Coast and SE Atlantic conference in Pensacola, Florida last week. His historical ecology included photos maps over 300 years old and detailed eyewitness accounts of the northern Gulf's coastal landscape from 1680-1806.
Condrey, a professor at Louisiana State University's School of the Coast and the Environment, delivered the keynote that set the stage for this four-day conference with over 100 presentations that highlight the consequences of the alteration, restoration, or loss of natural habitats along coastal landscapes.
While society strives for sustainability of present ecosystems, conservation efforts are often hampered by competing societal demands and scientific perceptions. In the process, the larger ecological perspective is sometimes lost and habitat enhancements never get off the ground, Condrey notes. "Our actions now will largely determine what will remain, what will flourish, and what will disappear. If we are wise stewards of our resources, we will guarantee their use for future generations."
Habitat alteration is one of the most destructive of human impacts on the environment and difficult to reverse. "A major problem in addressing habitat alteration is that many seemingly innocent small-scale alterations add up to considerable damage to coastal systems," explains Giancarlo Cicchetti from EPA's Office of Research and Development (ORD) in Narragansett, Rhode Island. "We need to stem the tide of habitat alterations."
Dr. William Benson, Director of ORD's Gulf Ecology Division in Gulf Breeze, FL agrees and stresses that communicating our research is critical. "I don't think that we can afford to shy away from communicating how our research leads to the improvement of ecological condition and contributes to a healthy environment for everyone. Clearly, both communication and collaboration are keys to a successful future and a sustainable world."
Benson directs the EPA lab's research on assessing ecological condition and risks of near coastal waters of the Gulf of Mexico and Southeastern US.
The Office of Research and Development's Gulf Ecology Division is the organizer and a key sponsor of the conference.