Louisiana's Amazing Lands, Waters, and Wildlife
Louisiana has 30% of the coastal wetlands found in the contiguous 48 states. The Atchafalaya River basin swamp is the largest in the nation. The largest wading bird colony in North America can be found at Miller's Lake, which housed some 52,000 nesting pairs of egrets, herons, night herons, and other species in 2004. More than 900 vertebrate species have been recorded in the state. .
Louisiana's Planning Approach
The Louisiana wildlife action plan is primarily a habitat-based approach to conserving rare and declining wildlife species. It focuses on habitats such as open water marine environments, riverine systems, and 38 terrestrial habitats, including agricultural-crop-grasslands. Conservation actions were developed with a variety of partners for these landscape features on a regional basis. The action plan also looks at the conservation needs of 240 rare or declining wildlife species and identifies conservation priorities for implementation.
Snake/LDWF
Eighteen threats to wildlife were identified in Louisiana. Four of these were commonly identified as primary factors in affecting terrestrial habitats throughout the state: habitat destruction or conversion, habitat fragmentation, habitat disturbance, and altered composition and structure of the habitat. In aquatic systems, the following five threats appeared repeatedly across basins: modification of water levels or changes in natural hydrologic patterns, sedimentation, habitat disturbance, nutrient loading, and altered composition and structure.
Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries
