ReNature Mission
Team information
Category:
Pooja logasundaram
Master
Avinashilingam university
Margarita Lenviz
Bachelor
Estonian University of Life Sciences
Angela Maria Suaza Varela
fresh graduate
Universidad de los Andes
Anatu Borewah Anita Kotochi
Master
Prairie View A&M University
Katherine Quispe Huaypar
PHD
Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna Pisa
Jazz'e Walker
Bachelor
University of district of columbia
Anton Ness
Master
Uppsala University
Laura Valentina Moreno Dorado
Bachelor
Universidad de los andes
Abinet Tamirat Bishawu
Master
Sapienza University of Rome
MASTEWAL ERANGO ERSADO
PHD
HAWASSA UNIVERSITY
Mariacamila Villa-Perez
Bachelor
Universidad de los Andes
Camila Arango
Bachelor
Universidad de los Andes
Mohammad Rayhan Arida
Master
Uppsala University
Kishore Kumar Saibaba
Master
Anna University
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About the team
Our team is driven by the goal of creating a more resilient and sustainable future through nature-based solutions. We combine diverse perspectives and systems thinking to address environmental challenges in the Mississippi River Delta. By working with natural processes, we aim to restore ecosystems, strengthen climate resilience, and develop solutions that benefit both local communities and the wider environment.
Our vision
Our vision reimagines the Mississippi River Delta as a regenerative, living system where natural processes and human settlement evolve together. Rather than resisting water, we work with it—redirecting sediment, restoring wetlands, rebuilding barrier islands, and expanding floodplains to strengthen the ecological foundation of the region. Freshwater diversion channels and adaptive levee systems allow seasonal flooding to nourish marshes while protecting communities. A nature-positive future means increasing biodiversity, not just preventing loss. Wetland restoration, habitat corridors, oyster reefs, and living shorelines create new ecosystems that support fisheries, migratory birds, and coastal wildlife. The Delta becomes more ecologically productive over time. Equally important, our vision ensures social and economic resilience. Flood-resilient housing, elevated transportation networks, and green infrastructure protect communities while creating good jobs in restoration, construction, fisheries, and renewable energy. Workforce training programs prepare residents for a nature-based economy rooted in long-term sustainability. By aligning ecological restoration with equitable development, we transform vulnerability into opportunity. The Delta shifts from a landscape of retreat and decline to one of renewal and adaptation. Our vision is not simply to preserve what remains—but to actively rebuild, reconnect, and regenerate the Mississippi River Delta for future generations.
Our inventory & analysis
Our inventory and analysis examine the Mississippi River Delta as a dynamic landscape shaped by water, sediment, ecology, and human settlement. The region is divided into distinct basins—Atchafalaya, Terrebonne, Barataria, Lafourche, Pontchartrain, Plaquemines, and the New Orleans Urban Delta—each with unique geomorphology, land use patterns, and environmental pressures. Mapping these regions reveals where sediment flows, wetlands are forming or disappearing, and where communities and infrastructure are most exposed to flooding and land loss. Natural systems show a clear imbalance between sediment supply and coastal erosion. Levees, navigation channels, and subsidence have reduced the Delta’s ability to naturally rebuild land, accelerating wetland loss and increasing salinity intrusion. At the same time, population centers, fisheries, industry, and transportation networks remain closely tied to vulnerable coastal landscapes. Our analysis identifies key opportunities for nature-based adaptation. Areas like the Atchafalaya Basin demonstrate active land-building processes, while Terrebonne and Barataria show urgent need for restoration and sediment reintroduction. Urban zones such as New Orleans require integrated flood protection, resilient housing, and water management strategies. By overlaying environmental data with social and economic conditions, we identify priority regions where ecological restoration and community resilience can work together. This inventory forms the foundation for design strategies that restore natural systems, protect settlements, and support a long-term transition toward a resilient and nature-positive Mississippi River Delta.