Utilization of remote sensing in wetland management

Coastal Louisiana is a dynamic environment experiencing constant changes ;n the temporal and spatial distribution of habitats as a result of natural and man-influenced processes. Management of this wetland environment for selected purposes, or for maintenance of a naturally renewable resource base, requires a knowledge of the relationship between forms and processes, quantification of spatial and temporal changes, and the ability to predict future trends ;n relation to natural and man-manipulated processes. The first comprehensive data base for the louisiana deltaic plain to support management efforts was obtained through construction of habitat maps for 1955/56 and 1978 (using 1:24,000 controlled, 7.5 minute, quadcentered black-and-white photo mosaics and 1:24,000 uncontrolled, nonquad-centered color-infrared prints, respectively) and planimetering and tabulation of the habitat areas according to selected geographical units (state, parish, hydrologic unit, 7.5 minute quad sheet, and coastal lone). The results of this study have been incorporated into wetland management plans for Terrebonne and St. Bernard Parishes and are serving as an impetus for management implementation throughout the Louisiana coastal lone. INTRODUCTION It has been evident for many years that coastal Louisiana is a dynamic environment undergoing constant habitat change as a result of both natural and man-influenced processes. Numerous studies have documented the geomorphic forms, processes, and habitat types present in the region and have assessed the rate and amount of change in selected areas (Blackmon 1978; Chabreck 1972; Chabreck and Linscombe 1978; Craig and Day 1977; Craig, Turner, and Day 1978; Gagliano and van Beek 1970; Gosselink, Cordes, and Parsons 1979; Kwon 1969; Morgan 1973, 1974; Morgan and Larimore 1957). However, the first comprehensive study to map, measure, and document habitat change in the entire Mississippi River Deltaic Plain Region was funded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the Bureau of Land Management, and conducted by personnel from Coastal Environments, Inc. (CEI) (Wicker 1980; Wicker et a1. 1980a). Evaluation of the results of this study permits spatial analysis and quantification of the type and amount of change, indicates possible causes for some of the changes, and provides an invaluable data base for formulation and implementation of management plans to offset or reverse the undesirable habitat changes.