 Wetlands
provide important habitat to countless bird, fish, and native plant species. In
the Gulf of Mexico region, some of the species
of birds that live in wetlands include white egrets, ibises, anhingas, blue
herons, and roseate spoonbills. In fact,
wetlands are some of the most productive ecosystems in world. Wetlands provide a habitat for more aquatic
and terrestrial species on an area basis than any other habitat type, making
them among the most ecologically important ecosystems on earth (Comer et al., 2005).
In the Gulf, wetlands are also home to many endangered species such as the Louisiana black bear, wood stork, snail kite, and Bachman’s
warbler. In fact, more than one-third of
the United States'
threatened and endangered species live only in wetlands.
Wetlands also serve as a nursery for many important marine
species. About 98% of the commercial fish
and shellfish harvested in the Gulf of Mexico
are dependent on estuaries for food, protection, or reproduction. These estuaries are extremely important to
the $2.8 billion per year that is generated by commercial Gulf
of Mexico fisheries. Some
of the important Gulf species that are wetland-dependent include blue crabs,
brown shrimp, oysters, striped bass, flounder, and menhaden.
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