Vanishing Points(TM) in South Terrebonne Parish: an assessment of technology's future role on climate change adaptation

Currently, southern Louisiana is undergoing extreme land loss at an alarming rate of about one football-sized swath of land every hour. The combined deleterious effect of land subsidence, sea level rise, salt water intrusion, and various other processes threaten the culture and livelihood of the residents living in this region. This study uses participatory techniques to highlight the need for collaborating with community members for future climate change adaptation decision-making and planning. Traditionally, research into environmental disasters, such as land loss, has been attributed to physical sciences. This approach, however, does not address the human elements such as risk perception and attachment to place. To address this limitation, this study investigates the use of an interdisciplinary approach by collaborating with the residents of South Terrebonne Parish to develop the mobile application Vanishing Points(TM). The application serves as an educational tool that provides awareness of the culture being threatened by land loss in this region. Vanishing Points(TM) showcases locations and history of cultural significance attained through participatory action research (PAR) methodology. Additionally, surveys completed by 200 residents provide insights to their attachment to place as well as their understanding and/or concerns about coastal land loss, wetland restoration, and climate change. It is expected that these survey results will support PAR projects such as Vanishing PointsTM for use in disaster and climate change adaptation, planning, and mitigation.