Cypress Foundation

About the team

We're a team of Wageningen University students from different specialization of Environmental Sciences (Economics, Wastewater Treatment, Policy and Geology) coming together to work under one mission on restoration of Mississippi River Delta.

Our vision

We present our vision for a nature-positive Mississippi River Delta (MRD) in which natural processes drive land building, flood protection, food production and economic activity, while engineering mainly guides and safeguards these processes. We propose reopening and enlarging distributaries, expanding controlled sediment and freshwater diversions, and routing dredged sediments into marsh, ridge and barrier-island restoration, complemented by basin-wide measures such as reforesting floodplains, expanding wetlands and regenerative agriculture to reduce nutrient loads, erosion and flood peaks. The strategy for food security promotes wetland agri-aquaculture (e.g. rice paddies combined seasonally with catfish, crayfish, oysters), floating gardens, salt-tolerant crops in lowlands and relocation of conventional crops to higher, safer land. For biodiversity, a continuous habitat network from riverine forests and cypress-tupelo swamps to intermediate/brackish marshes and robust barrier islands and cheniers, supported by hydrologically based reforestation, best-practice land management, constructed and restored wetlands, and stricter pollution control. Water strategy focuses on infrastructure redesign to counter sea-level rise, subsidence, extreme precipitation and cyclones, using sediment diversions, managed overflow zones, coastal vegetation buffers, multilevel water storage and controlled openings that spread freshwater and sediment while pushing back saltwater. For transport, industry, energy and housing, we approach climate-proofing navigation and logistics, obligating coastal industries to co-invest in nature-based risk reduction, gradually shifting from fossil fuels to distributed renewables, and enabling fair, community-led relocation from untenable areas. Communities, Tribes and fishers co-govern key projects through restoration-driven growth, green jobs and education pathways. While political instability, shifting federal priorities, and uncertainty in future climate trajectories create real constraints, they reinforce the urgency of transitioning toward nature-based solutions. By mobilizing the delta’s ecological productivity, scientific knowledge, and strong community experience in tandem, a more resilient and future-oriented pathway can be constructed despite these uncertainties.

Our inventory & analysis

The Mississippi River Delta is a sedimentary system shaped by river processes, subsidence, marine forces, and extensive human modification. The landscape is low-lying and extremely flat, and elevation differences of less than one meter determine flood frequency, salinity intrusion, vegetation zones, and long-term habitability. Storms and major flood events drive erosion but can also contribute sediment where fluvial supply remains available. Active areas such as the Atchafalaya continue to accrete, while abandoned lobes and interior basins show increasing wetland fragmentation and expansion of open water. Human intervention has significantly altered sediment and hydrological dynamics. Levees, dams, navigation channels, land conversion, and oil and gas infrastructure have reduced sediment loads by roughly half and disconnected wetlands from riverine inputs, contributing to nearly 4,000 km² of wetland loss. Nutrient runoff and industrial pollution further stress ecosystems and freshwater systems. Under high-emission scenarios, projected relative sea-level rise of 1.5–2.0 m by 2100 is expected to exceed marsh accretion in most basins. The delta also holds adaptive capacity through strong local knowledge, historical water-based practices, and extensive scientific research, modelling, and coastal planning frameworks. However, its heavily engineered landscape, dense infrastructure, and fragmented political structure may slow coordinated and flexible adaptation.