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Habitat
Management
Request for
Proposals
Coastal ecosystems are fragile and support
numerous unique habitats and highly important landscape features. They
also have high aesthetic appeal, attracting millions of visitors annually.
U.S. coastal areas support a highly disproportionate share of urban and
industrial development. Currently, more that 1/3 of the U.S. population
resides within the narrow zone of coastal counties, supporting densities
four times the national average. By the year 2010, as much as 75% of our
population may live within 50 miles of a coast. As a result of this growth
and development, coastal habitats, such as forested wetlands, marshes,
oyster reefs, and seagrass beds are disappearing at an astounding rate. A
1990 report states that Alabama has lost 25,000 acres of both wetlands and
bay bottoms in the Mobile-Tensaw Delta.
A "wetland" is a habitat where surface and/or groundwater has resulted in
the development of plant or animal communities adapted to aquatic or
intermittently wet conditions. The dominant vegetation of a forested
wetland are woody plants, like trees, as opposed to a "marsh" where the
dominant vegetation consists of non-woody plants, like grasses. Between
the mid-1950's and late 1970's, 34% of the wetlands in northern Mobile Bay
were lost to residential and commercial development and timber management
activities. Today, there are 14 preservation and protection projects in
the Bay area, including over 66,000 acres of wetlands. This combination of
federal, state, and local projects helps to reduce the rate of loss of our
wetlands. Oyster reefs are bottom communities and constitute an important
commercial fishery in Mobile Bay. "Seagrass beds" (submerged
aquatic vegetation, SAV) are underwater meadows
that contribute plant material to the rich food web of the Gulf and serve
as nursery habitats for many animal species including fish, shrimp, and
crabs. Historically, there has been a decline in SAV abundance in
Mobile Bay, with many established beds totally disappearing since the
1960's. An estimated 90% of commercial fish and shellfish landed in
Alabama rely on wetlands for critical habitat during their life cycles.
These examples represent only some of the habitat losses that have
occurred and continue to occur in our coastal environment. If you would
like to know more information or become involved with the Mobile Bay
National Estuary Program, please call (251) 431-6409 or e-mail us.
Sources: Dauphin Island Sea Lab; US Fish & Wildlife Service
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