Louisiana's coastal wetlands are an intricate web of four different environments defined by the degree of salt- and/or freshwater content. Each such area has its own unique habitat and purpose in this ecosystem. Beyond their natural beauty the coastal wetlands:

• Provide wintering habitat for more than 5 million migratory waterfowl, including vast populations of North American geese and ducks;
• Provide year-round habitat for many endangered and threatened species, including the previously endangered American alligator;
• Function as a giant natural water treatment system filtering sediments, nutrients and chemical pollutants;
• Provide breeding grounds and homes for shrimp, crab and the smaller crustaceans that sustain the northern Gulf of Mexico fish population;
• Provide a natural defense against erosion and acts as a critical first-line defense against the potential devastation of hurricanes, high tides and heavy rains.