Coastal Habitat Restoration in the Gulf of Mexico

Seagrass Conservation: Changing Behavior along the Coast

Seagrass beds and meadows are a critical habitat for many fish and coastal species. Due to an increase in nearshore boating activities around the Gulf of Mexico, “prop scarring” has been identified as a serious threat to seagrasses. Prop scarring results in destabilized bottom substrate and uprooted seagrasses. The Conservancy with partners is working to create new maps of channels in the Upper Laguna Madre and install channel markers and signs that will educate boaters about seagrass biology as well as how to properly navigate using the channel markers. Approximately 5,000 acres of seagrasses will benefit from this project.

Oyster Reef Restoration: An Ecosystem Services Perspective

Oyster reefs are an integral and valuable component of temperate coastal ecosystems and local economies along the Gulf of Mexico coast. Oyster reefs provide habitat for a great abundance and diversity of fish, shrimp and crabs.  With native oyster populations and their habitats particularly degraded, the Conservancy and partners are helping to restore critical ecosystem services, like improved water quality, that healthy shellfish population provide. At four project sites across the Gulf of Mexico, Conservancy staff are working within the Global Marine Initiative’s Shellfish Network to implement appropriate strategies and develop monitoring protocols that will measure results. Learn more about shellfish conservation and restoration (.pdf, 543 kb).

Coastal Wetland Restoration: Enhancing Water’s Flow

In the 1920's, Bahia Grande supported wintering flocks of redheads and other ducks and provided nursery habitat for many juvenile aquatic fish species. Since that time, Gulf of Mexico coastal ecosystems have been increasingly modified by human activities, interrupting natural processes and altering freshwater flows to estuaries. In the Bahia Grande, the Conservancy plans to work with partners to restore the natural character and biological functions of the wetlands through the construction of two channels to enhance tidal circulation, helping to bring back the waters that nurture and support life for this vital ecosystem.