General DNR News

BusinessWeek Shines Light on “Eco-Cultural” Tourism in America’s WETLAND

New Orleans, LA. - When BusinessWeek’s December 13th issue hits newsstands today, it will expose millions of readers to a new brand of experiential travel and adventure called "eco-cultural" tourism.

The special section is part of the extended launch of the “A Place Called America’s WETLAND” initiative, which was designed to create a new sense of global awareness about the physical and cultural riches found in Louisiana and attract attention to the area as a prime site for "eco-cultural" tourism, which focuses on cultures intrinsically tied to the land and ecosystem around them.

The same ecological and cultural treasures that make coastal Louisiana a leader of this new brand of tourism is in danger of being lost forever, due to the State’s wetland loss. Every year, 25 square miles of coastal Louisiana, also known as America's WETLAND, disappears, jeopardizing the habitat of 79 rare, threatened or endangered plant and animal species and the wintering habitat for more than 5 million birds. As the world’s seventh-largest delta, Louisiana’s wetlands provide protection for the infrastructure that transports 30% of the oil and gas consumed in America, and the world’s largest port system, which also houses a healthy cruise industry. Additionally, the region’s two million residents and the unique Cajun and Creole cultures depend on these vanishing wetlands for protection from the dangers of Gulf hurricanes.

“America's WETLAND is an area rich in natural resources, ecological significance and cultural diversity," says King Milling, Chair of the America's WETLAND Foundation and President of Whitney National Bank. "Through this special section, we hope to ensure that national and global decision-makers – the readers of BusinessWeek – are aware of not only what coastal Louisiana has to offer, but also what is at stake."

Supported by Shell Oil Company, World Sponsor of the America’s WETLAND campaign, this is the second such special section focusing on Louisiana’s land loss published in BusinessWeek, a weekly newsmagazine read by 5.6 million people worldwide.

According to Louisiana’s Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco, the rest of the nation is beginning to wake up to the harsh realities associated with losing America’s WETLAND. “Both man and nature could end up big losers if we don’t act now to turn back the tide of coastal land loss,” Blanco says.

The America's WETLAND campaign was launched by the state of Louisiana in order to raise public awareness of the impact the state's wetland loss has on the state, nation and world. By educating the public about its world ecological significance and importance to the nation's energy and economic security, the campaign aims to gain support for its efforts to conserve and save coastal Louisiana. The initiative is supported by a growing coalition of world, national and state conservation and environmental organizations and has drawn private support from businesses that see wetlands protection as a key to economic growth.

To find out more about America's WETLAND: Campaign to Save Coastal Louisiana, visit www.americaswetland.com.

Editors: For more information, contact Jeanne Nathan at 504-822-1950 or DNR Public Information Office at225-342-8955.