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Thesis statement:

Should the criteria of the Ramsar Convention of 1971 be used to designate the Louisiana Coastal Zone as "Wetlands of International Importance”?

The Ramsar Convention of 1971 is an international treaty seeking to protect, conserve and in the planning and management as well as wise use of the world's wetlands.

The Loss of Louisiana Wetlands, to coastal erosion, global sea rise and over development is a major environmental concern for the United States.These wetlands are home to endangered and threatened animal and plant species as well as habitat to thousands of birds, waterfowl, fish, reptiles, mollusks and mammals.The science, academic, volunteer, political and legislative communities of the United States are working to conserve the Louisiana Wetlands through a multitude of studies, projects and programs aimed at preserving, protecting, restoring as well as recognizing the value wetlands.

The Coastal Zone of Louisiana has a multitude of diverse wetlands, including freshwater swamps, hardwood and bottomland swamps, freshwater marshes, brackish marshes and saltwater marshes that are home to valuable natural resources, some of which are threatened by coastal erosion. Ramsar encourages listing of diverse wetland sites and in fact permits clustering of diverse sites for a single listing as a wetland of international importance.

National Wildlife Refuges on the coast of Louisiana are recognized and in fact protected under current law as ecosystems of importance to the country. The Ramsar Convention outlines specific criteria for potential candidate wetland sites to meet for listing to the Roster of Wetlands of International Importance.

The Ramsar Information Sheet (RIS) is used to list the characteristics of sites and the science that justifes any statements made regarding the qualities of the nominated wetland sites. Administrative planning and management approaches toward nominated sites are included in the RIS. The RIS provides a standardized format or data sheet for recording information about the region. Information, including functions and values-hydrological, biophysical, floral, faunal, social and cultural-are critical elements, which determine eligibility for Ramsar listing.

The Federal Government as well as the Louisiana State Government support international wetland designation and are in fact established participants in the Ramsar Convention. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service administers the Ramsar Convention and recently announced new U.S. sites for inclusion on the listing of Wetlands of International Importance. Louisiana hosts a Ramsar site at Catahoula Lake in Rapides Parish. This site is an inland wetland, a National Wildlife Refuge and member of Ramsar since 1991.

The Louisiana Coastal Authority has recently produced a report outlining the national and international importance of the Louisiana Coastal Wetlands to the global economy and security of the world.

Concluding point

The Ramsar Convention of 1971 should be applied to Louisiana wetlands, specifically the wetlands of coastal zone, which represent some of the world's more diverse wetland areas. The National Wildlife Refuges established on the Louisiana Coast offer federal and state parties an opportunity to enlist Ramsar international recognition and support in the complete planning and management effort of Louisiana's wetlands. Wildlife habitat, as well as economic development and conservation of the wetland's natural resources will be protected and recognized through designation of the Louisiana Coastal NWR's as wetland sites of international importance.