Barrier Islands

Louisiana’s barrier islands are low-lying features of the coast that comprise a variety of habitat types, including sandy beaches, dunes, back barrier salt marsh and maritime forests. Barrier islands are the first line of defense against storm surge and hurricanes and provide vital habitat for many coastal species, such as the endangered Kemp’s ridley sea turtle, the Piping Plover, the Black Skimmer and the Cerulean Warbler.