The Ecological Society of America (ESA) will donate over $17,500 to the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana (CRCL) to offset the environmental costs of the Society’s 103rd Annual Meeting, held this year in New Orleans, LA.
More than 3,500 attendees convene from across the globe this week to impart, discuss, and share the latest in essential ecological research and discovery.
Caz Taylor, a spatial ecologist at Tulane University and the meeting’s Local Host , stated that the wetland loss in the Gulf Coast region is of huge concern.
She emphasized that the destruction of wetlands, which constitutes 40-45 percent of coastal wetlands in the lower continental United States, is “ already having enormous environmental and economic consequences, and I think it is one of the most serious environmental issues facing the US.”
By the year 2040, it is estimated that one-third of coastal wetlands will be destroyed by urban development, according to ESA.
CRCL uses a multifaceted restoration, outreach, and advocacy approach to achieve its mission of driving bold, science-based action to rebuild coastal Louisiana.
“Here in Louisiana we are losing wetlands at an incredible rate – one football field every 100 minutes and New Orleans is inching closer to the Gulf of Mexico every day ,” said CRCL Executive Director Kimberly Davis Reyher . “ We are thankful for ESA’s commitment to give back to Louisiana’s coast during their annual meeting. Few groups think about offsetting their environmental impact.”
CRCL is a restoration organization that has engaged more than 13,000 volunteers through its Habitat Restoration Program.