Abstract

Developing a Prioritization Tool for Wetland Restoration in Coastal Louisiana
Track: Environmental Management
Authors: Nicholas Enwright, Steve Hartley

Wetland restoration projects are essential to slowing projected wetland loss in coastal Louisiana. Geographers at the U.S. Geological Survey National Wetland Research Center and scientists at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are working as a multidisciplinary team to develop a tool that utilizes geospatial datasets to help prioritize future wetland restoration projects. Various types of data can be combined when using the tool, including those on lidar measurements, soils, geology, vegetation type, and habitat suitability for Federal trust species. Using wxPython, a graphical user interface toolkit for the python programming language, the tool allows users to easily build customized scenarios by including or excluding variables, specifying variable weights, and adjusting how variables are reclassified from raw values into scores for modeling. The tool arms scientists with the best data available to make informed and forward-thinking decisions regarding ecosystem-based projects for wetland protection and restoration.