To see video from the conference, click here.
The School of the Coast and Environment hosted a two-day conference to launch a new major and for scientists to discuss protection and sustainability of the Mississippi Delta. “Sustainable Management of Deltaic Ecosystems: Integration of Theory and Practice,” was held Monday and Tuesday in the School of the Coast and Environment building. The conference introduced a degree program for the school. The new major, Coastal and Environmental Science, is the first undergraduate program for the school. “Scientists know what to do, but face social, economic and political obstacles,” said Ed Laws, professor in the Department of  Environmental Science and the conference’s organizer.Tuesday’s conference speakers focused on social and economical ways to preserve the coast. One of the afternoon speakers, Margaret Reams, associate professor of environmental sciences at the University of Georgia, presented a case study on measuring resilience with social and economical indicators.The first day of speakers concentrated on the resiliency of coastal ecosystems similar to Louisiana, such as the Florida Everglades and San Francisco Bay. This focus will give a broader perspective on the issue of sustainable resource management in Louisiana, Laws said. An evening session open to the public was held Monday night to discuss the political and social aspect of coastal restoration. A crowd of about 50 people gathered to hear and discuss resolutions to coastal restoration.Former Gov. Kathleen Blanco illustrated what her administration has accomplished and what the state is still accomplishing for coastal restoration.”An integrated strategy requires cooperation at the local, state and federal level of governments working together with private sector interests and citizens,” Blanco said.The integrated strategy is part of the master plan of the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority. It is a single state entity working with the state government and other groups concerned with coastal restoration. The group is a unified voice for many state agencies, such as the Department of Natural Resources and the Department of Transportation and Development. Gov. Bobby Jindal’s coastal affairs director, Garret Graves, also spoke Monday night. He said Louisiana’s coast is important not just to the state, but to the whole nation. —-
Contact Erica Warren at [email protected]