Synthesis Report Series: Trends in oil and gas infrastructure, ecosystem function, and socioeconomic wellbeing in coastal Louisiana

Understanding historical changes in infrastructure density, ecosystem function, and socioeconomic wellbeing in coastal Louisiana can support better management and decision making. This project synthesized data from multiple sources to assess coastwide and community trends in a wide variety of infrastructure development since the 1950s in coastal Louisiana. The trends were quantified in socioeconomic wellbeing and ecosystem function related to fish and shellfish habitat over the same time period to assess common trends between infrastructure development, ecosystem function, and socioeconomic wellbeing of communities. Both infrastructure density and calculated ecosystem function were found to be positively correlated to aspects of socioeconomic wellbeing at a community scale.