The Future?

Likely Future Prospects
After analyzing the risk assessments that were published in 2002, it was predicted that there was existence of contaminants from the oil drilling and urban runoff that resulted in risks for the bird and fish wildlife that lived in the wetlands. It seems that since the sampling of contaminated areas occurred, there was an increase in the restoration efforts made on the wetlands (NMFS, 2002).  With the way trends are viewed, the flora and fauna are slowly rising back, in a 2010 restoration update, it was viewed that 89% of a particular cord grass had expanded with new plantings, and also endangered bird populations are gradually rising back to more tolerable levels. With that said, it is safe to say that the likely prospects are slowly but surely good, and with time, and the natural course of animal adaptation and plant evolution, it is possible to restore the biodiversity that was once damaged by oil industrialization. An example of this is how the number of fish species prevalent expanded from 19 to 46 different species from a span of 3 years under the establishment of the ecological reserve. With time, it is likely that the ecosystem will flourish, so long as destructive actions are mitigated (Amigos De Bolsa Chica, ©2010).

source: http://www.amigosdebolsachica.org/bolsa_chica_restoration/bolsa_chica_inlet_opening.htm

Balance Maintenance
Awareness starts at the grassroots level, with the development of non-profit organizations that advocate preservation and restoration of the wetlands, statistics have shown improvement. The table below represents a summarization of the statistics provided by Amigos de Bolsa Chica as a means of showing a flourishment and restoration of the biodiversity in the wetlands (Amigos De Bolsa Chica, ©2010).

Biodiversity type	Before restoration	After/During restoration
Fish Species	19 species	42 species (2nd yr) 46 species (3rd yr)
Eel Grass	0.9 acres (2007)	2 acres (2008) 32 acres (2009)
Cord Grass		Increased 89%
Bird counts	*hard to determine but …	Endangered species are now nesting more often.

  (Amigos De Bolsa Chica, ©2010).


To maintain this, the public can show support for natural habitat preservation, by support such organizations, but also demonstrate restoration efforts by doing things that would not damage the natural habitats, by not littering or contributing through helping wetland cleanups. There are many programs available that concern cleanups or volunteer services that allow the public to help participate in balance efforts. For example, the Bolsa Chica Conservancy provides volunteer and educational services, as well as tours to bring awareness and promote conservation of the land. Active participation from the community can help bring a balance between the people and the wetlands, and mitigate any damage towards the biodiversity there (Bolsa Chica Conservancy, ©2000).