Resilient Delta Systems

About the team

Resilient Delta Systems (RDS) is an interdisciplinary partnership bridging geological engineering and circular agribusiness. Led by Veronica Lycworts Aggrey, a geologist and Assistant Programme Officer, specializing in geospatial analysis, the team designs bio-adaptive coastal infrastructure. Supporting her is Samson M A Chipala II, a strategic Advisor in Agribusiness and Supply Chain management. Together, RDS transforms river sediment and organic waste into fossilized Bio-Loom reefs to secure the future of the Mississippi Delta

Our vision

By 2120, the Mississippi River Delta functions as a self-sustaining, biodiverse landscape where human and natural systems grow together. The Mississippi Delta Intervention (MDI) introduces 3D-printed, fungal-stabilized sediment structures placed between −5 and −2 meters in depth, using clay-rich deposits sourced from Pass à Loutre. A salt-tolerant fungal consortium binds sediment, builds habitat, and gradually mineralizes into stable landforms. Barataria Basin becomes the demonstration core. Land has returned, and Highway 23 is elevated as a biodiversity bridge powered by solar energy, designed with wildlife crossings and integrated stormwater gardens. Venice Port operates behind living breakwaters. Terrebonne’s Gulf-facing edge is buffered by linked MDI chains. Breton Sound supports restored migratory bird corridors. In the Atchafalaya Basin, floating aquaculture systems provide food and local employment. Food systems combine floating rice paddies, oyster cultivation, and myco-agriculture integrated into wetland terraces. Seasonal floodplains and controlled freshwater diversions manage water dynamically rather than defensively. Renewable energy systems are embedded across the landscape: solar along Highway 23, tidal turbines in the Bird’s Foot Delta, and offshore wind fields in the Gulf. Communities are part of the infrastructure. Climate-displaced families resettle in MDI platform villages designed around shared water access, cooperative land models, and local stewardship. Indigenous ecological knowledge shapes restoration strategies. Social equity is treated as structural, not symbolic. Children travel by paddle to Mangrove Schools through living waterways. Elders guide visitors across restored marshes that once stood on the edge of collapse. The delta, once defined by loss, now operates as a regenerative system and a working model for climate adaptation through nature-based design.

Our inventory & analysis

The Mississippi River Delta comprises 10 distinct hydrological basins, each with unique geomorphology and human systems. Our analysis reveals accelerating land loss, with CPRA projections showing 74 percent of the Mississippi River Delta Basin, which is Basin 7, disappearing by 2070 without intervention. Canal density correlates strongly with loss rates. Barataria Basin, Basin 6, has the highest canal network density. Critical infrastructure, including Highway 23 and Port Fourchon, faces fragmentation. Natural factors vary across the region. Atchafalaya Basin, Basin 4, continues active sediment building while Terrebonne Basin, Basin 5, experiences rapid subsidence. Human systems range from urban Pontchartrain, Basin 9, to the rural fishing communities of Barataria. Our SWOT analysis identifies strengths in high sediment load and biodiversity. Weaknesses include subsidence and canal erosion. Opportunities lie in MDI intervention. Threats include storm intensification and sea-level rise. This analysis grounds our nature-based solution in regional realities, with Basin 7's catastrophic 74 percent loss driving urgent intervention.