EcoQuest UEF
Team information
Category:
ANJU MERLINE JUDE
Master
University of Eastern Finland
Rahmah Muzzamil
Master
University of Eastern Finland
Julia Kuivalainen
Bachelor
University of Eastern Finland
Nimra Ishtiaq Rana Daniyal Latif
Master
University of Eastern Finland
Gopika Biju
Master
University of Eastern Finland
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About the team
Team EcoQuest represents a shared passion for exploring innovative, nature‑based solutions that strengthen ecosystems and communities. We are committed to being part of the solution to environmental challenges, driven by curiosity, an open mind, and a collective desire to create positive change.
Our vision
The future of the Mississippi River Delta is envisioned as a flexible, nature-based landscape organized into managed hydrological compartments that cooperate with water rather than resist it. Instead of continuous hard barriers, land is structured into cells shaped by local geomorphology, salinity patterns, and sediment flows. These compartments are separated by vegetated bunds reinforced with marsh plants, mangrove analogues, and swamp forests that function as living infrastructure. Water is guided, slowed, stored, and filtered never completely excluded allowing the delta to absorb floods and adapt to change. Food production is integrated into this system through rotational aquaculture agriculture cycles. Brackish zones alternate between shrimp, crab, or prawn cultivation and salt-tolerant crops, while freshwater and higher natural levees support rice, vegetables, and agroforestry. Sediment-rich regions emphasize fisheries and wetland-based protein instead of intensive land farming. Nutrients circulate within compartments, reducing chemical inputs and strengthening long-term food security. A layered buffer strategy enhances resilience. Offshore features such as barrier islands and oyster reefs reduce wave force. Inland marshes, mangrove belts, and cypress–tupelo swamps stabilize soils and protect settlements. Inner riparian strips and agroforestry belts provide additional ecological and economic value. Together, these layers create a gradual, absorbent defense system. Regional differentiation ensures ecological coherence. The Atchafalaya Delta supports open wetlands and fisheries aligned with active land-building processes. The Lafourche Delta accommodates compartmentalized food systems and settlement protection. Areas such as St. Bernard Parish and Plaquemines Parish prioritize living buffers and sediment capture with limited development. By combining ecological restoration, productive landscapes, renewable energy, and community-led management, this vision transforms the delta into a resilient, inclusive system where nature itself becomes the primary framework for climate adaptation and sustainable growth.
Our inventory & analysis
he area of Mississippi River Delta (MRD) and Louisiana overall is facing lot of challenges and the concern of losing some of the most important pillars of the ecosystems and infrastructures is real. In our inventory and analysis, we wanted to have an overview of the different parts of MRD and focus on the most important aspects of the areas. We created a clear table where various factors have been observed and opportunities identified. The area is well research and there is plenty of information and trials trying to create solutions. The residents over there are inclined to help and coastal restoration efforts have strong support. We gathered data from diverse sources and brought it together creating an analysis in which we focus lot on the impacts of climate change and how it affects the area, without forgetting its own unique challenges and opportunities. Considered that MRD will be and already is facing lot of climatic issues and it needs to prepare to them, when creating nature-based solutions these aspects should be considered thoroughly. This is also an opportunity to create something new and sustainable and connect people with the natural world.