Intermediate Phase:  What to do in 30-50 years
Written by Anna Simon 

In the intermediate term, the data from the experimental restoration sites should be analyzed to improve existing restoration techniques.  These techniques should be implemented in appropriate areas.  Research and monitoring should be continued, although they might not have to be funded so heavily.

Potential for Future Scientific Advancements
Written by Sara Barnowski 

The wetlands of Louisiana play a vitally important role in protecting the city from flooding and storm surges.  But scientists and researchers have just begun to tap into their potential.  If we work to prevent the further degradation of the wetlands they will provide an avenue for future study and a wealth of biological resources.  Wetlands are complex ecosystems, and there is still much that we don’t know about them.  The Louisiana wetlands make up about 40% of the total wetland ecosystems in the United States (Thorpe, 2002), and they are in an area of great geological activity.  This means that the area will be extremely important for future study of geological and ecological processes such as the effect of subsidence on the wetlands, plate tectonics in areas of soil instability, the role of different species in wetland ecosystems, and many other things. 

There are also studies beginning now that are looking into the role of wetlands in carbon sequestration (Wetland Restoration, Management, and Carbon Sequestration , 2003This work is extremely important because atmospheric carbon affects global warming, and the ability to store it in wetlands would help to remediate these affects.  In addition to naturally sequestering carbon, the wetlands naturally purify the water that flows through them.  For this reason they can be used for the treatment of effluent from cities.  This process has been implemented within small-scale artificial wetlands, and research is being done to evaluate the possibility of using natural wetland ecosystems for this purpose (Gustufson, 2002).  If this could be applied in New Orleans or another city, then thousands of dollars could be saved in energy costs compared to conventional wastewater treatment facilities. 

Finally, the wetlands are currently a warehouse of genetic information.  Many of species that inhabit the wetlands are currently endangered or threatened, like the bald eagle, or are commercially important to the area, like fish and shellfish.  As the ecosystems disappear so do the species that inhabit them.  Future studies should focus on preserving this biodiversity.