Louisiana aims to replicate accidental coastal land restoration technique

Grist reported that Louisiana is planning to intentionally replicate a coastal restoration method to build new land along its coast. In 2002, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers stumbled upon a technique that created new land area, which the state now wants to use on purpose. [1]

The restoration efforts are taking place in tucked-away patches of the 1.6-million-acre Barataria Basin. Local tour guide Arthur Matherne reported that navigation channels in the basin have grown tighter by the year as new grasses and land take root. [1]

Louisiana loses more than 25 square miles of land annually due to coastal subsidence and recurrent hurricanes. The state economy relies heavily on fossil fuel extraction, petrochemical refining, agriculture, and tourism, which has prompted multibillion-dollar restoration initiatives. [3]

The deliberate restoration projects aim to counter the saltwater intrusion from the Gulf of Mexico that has historically dissolved local marshes and swamps. [1][3]