Program Information Habitats at Ballona are a complex mosaic resulting from many years of floodplain alteration and filling of the historical wetlands yet many native species and communities still thrive. As mapped by the Coastal Conservancy today, habitats at Ballona are defined mainly by hydrology, i.e whether the habitat is estuarine, freshwater, seasonally flooded, riparian, or upland. Many wildlife species, especially birds, utilize more than one habitat type - thus the juxtaposition of these habitats next to one another is important for biodiversity.