Katrina delivered an overdue bill for watershed services
Besides this blog, I write an e-bulletin called Flows that reviews lessons being learned, or not, from efforts to establish payment arrangements for watershed services – as part of a project of the International Institute for Environment and Development. The latest issue, regarding the overdue bill that was delivered by Katrina, is cross-posted below, and includes a collection of links to further information – a number of which were brought to my attention in the blogosphere – a special thanks to Chris Mooney, Roger Pielke, Majikthise and Neddie Jingo. This and past issues are archived at www.flowsonline.net.
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Review: Payments for watershed services in coastal regions: not whether but when, and the cost of delay
When Katrina struck the Gulf coast of Louisiana and Mississippi, there was no lack of scientific information, timely warnings, public awareness, or even response plans. These included not only immediate plans for disaster relief from the long anticipated consequences of the loss of coastal wetlands and barrier islands, but also a long-term plan for restoration (see ” target=”_blank”>LCA 2004). Lacking, however, were the financial resources, institutional capacity and political will necessary to implement the response plans. Consequently, the disastrous response to Katrina has exposed links between these coastal wetlands and the economic well being of the entire US, along with other vulnerabilities and social dysfunctions, of which it is only a symptom.
As land loss has accelerated along the region’s coastal areas, storm surges and flooding have become almost routine – even in the absence of hurricanes. In the past, these wetlands acted as a buffer against flooding, protecting not only the city of New Orleans from flooding , but also the extensive infrastructure that supports offshore oil and gas operations in the Gulf of Mexico, as well as key ports. Even in their depleted condition these wetlands support 20% of US commercial fishery production and during hard times in particular, make a significant contribution to the livelihoods of the diverse cultures that inhabit this region and who, themselves, have made significant contributions to national and global cultural heritage (Gramling, 2005).
The loss of 1,900 square miles (4,900 square km) of these wetlands since the 1930s is not so much a result of the actions of individual landowners, but of the extensive flood protection structures (or ‘levees’), over 8,000 miles of canals – built to support offshore oil and gas operations and shipping, as well as subsidence. The levees increase vulnerability to flooding by preventing the deposit of sediment in coastal floodplain areas that would otherwise form coastal land. Other sources of vulnerability are changes in climate that have led to a rising sea level and, most likely, to an increase in the intensity of hurricanes ( ” target=”_blank”>(PACE 2005).
Such a policy would also go a long way towards addressing a root cause of the disastrous response to Katrina – a policy that placed the burden of response on individuals and local governments, without giving them also a constitutional right to the benefits of natural resource extraction. As an independent stream of revenue, these funds could also be used to reduce vulnerability by building local capacity to respond to extreme and hazardous events. However, achieving this will require more than innovative payment arrangements. The sale of leases for offshore oil and gas exploration and development is the second most significant source of US government revenue after the federal income tax, and provides a basis for government revenue projections and policy decisions before they are even sold.
Events such as Katrina – and also the South Asian Tsunami – may lead to greater value being placed on the supporting services of watersheds that maintain coastal areas, or indirect values, rather than only on the more direct and tangible values such as freshwater and recreation. However, overcoming value conflicts over inevitable trade-offs will require a comprehensive strategy addressing both the political and technical challenges of maintaining and restoring ecosystem services.
References and further reading – after the jump.
Appel, A. ” target=”_blank”>The awful price of coastal ruin. Baltimore Sun, September 1, 2005.
Bourne Jr., J.K., 2004. ” target=”_blank”>Coast 2050: Toward a Sustainable Coastal Louisiana . Louisiana Department of Natural Resources, Baton Rouge, LA. 161 pp. [A more detailed overview of the values of coastal wetlands can be found in Chapter 6 of this report: The value of coastal wetlands (pdf).]
Friedman, George. 2005. ” target=”_blank”>Is Katrina a Harbinger of Still More Powerful Hurricanes? Science 309, 16 September 2005, p. 1807.
Laska, S. 2004. ” target=”_blank”>Louisiana Coastal Area Ecosystem Restoration Study. US Army Corps of Engineers New Orleans District and The State of Louisiana.
PACE 2005. ” target=”_blank”>Coast 2050: A New Approach to Restoration of Louisiana Coastal Wetlands. Physical Geography 25:1, pp. 4-21.
” target=”_blank”>HURRICANE KATRINA: Scientists’ Fears Come True as Hurricane Floods New Orleans. Science, Vol 309, Issue 5741, 1656-1659 , 9 September 2005
Webster, P.J., Holland G.J., Curry, J.A., and Chang, H.-R. 2005. The Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How it Changed America
Colten, Craig. An Unnatural Metropolis: Wresting New Orleans from Nature
Tidwell, Mike (2004) Bayou Farewell: The Rich Life and Tragic Death of Louisiana’s Cajun Coast
Other links:
” target=”_blank”>Hurricanes, Climate, and Katrina: A selection of past Science articles related to hurricanes, coastal disasters, and disaster policy are being made available free of charge by Science and its publisher, the AAAS.
For a history of coastal restoration efforts in Louisiana by the Federal government, see the presentation of US Senator Mary Landrieu, ” target=”_blank”>here.
For further discussion of whether there are links between hurricanes and global warming, see ” target=”_blank”>www.highwatereverywhere.com.
