Sustaining Louisiana's coastal wetlands: Actor decision-making and the mitigation banking system, 1998-2011

Since 1988, the "no net loss" mantra regarding wetland conservation has been federal policy and subsequently codified and administered in every state. As a result of often inevitable conversion of wetlands to other land uses, both federal and state regulatory agencies require mitigation, or the replacement of wetland functions and values, to offset impacted wetlands. One form of mitigation, the purchase of credits from a "mitigation bank," can be used by wetland users to secure required replacement habitat as a result of their permitted development activities.;The purpose of this study is to predict regulatory behavior, i.e. the issuance of wetland permits by the State of Louisiana, coastal user decisions, and explain policy actor decision-making and permitted wetland impacts as functions of political climate and economic context.;This study hypothesizes that political interests and economic prosperity are integral in allowable wetland impacts. Information from the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources database was used to predict fluctuations in permitted public resource impacts with the political economy. Wetland permit data were collected from 1998 to 2011, inclusive, and regulatory variables are used to determine whether the mitigation bank system meets the criteria for successful sustainable wetland policy.;This study hypothesizes that coastal user behavior is a function of the political and economic climate. Hypotheses about explanatory factors are tested, and statistical models are estimated with multiple linear regression and logistic regression over a 14-year period. Good governance hypotheses are coupled with sustainability theory to determine state agency stewardship in environmental regulation.;Based on data collected from 1998-2011, the results of statistical analysis show that several economic indicators, such as the unemployment rate and the consumer price index, help explain people's decisions to initiate development projects. The Louisiana Office of Coastal Management exhibits successful implementation of good governance policies and strong sustainability in protecting the coastal wetlands of Louisiana.