The purpose of the Lower Mississippi River Batture Reforestation Project is to achieve more sustainable land and water management in the active floodplain of the Lower Mississippi River, thus providing significant ecological, economic and societal benefits.
The goals of this project are to:
- Improve water quality in the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico.
- Expand habitat for federally protected species, at-risk species, or other wetland-dependent wildlife.
- Support implementation of existing regional conservation initiatives.
- Reduce soil erosion and increase carbon sequestration in the project area.
- Reduce the erosion of vulnerable lands during floods and protect federal flood control and navigation infrastructure to benefit producers and taxpayers.
- Reduce taxpayer-funded disaster payments and other payments on flood-prone land.
- Provide additional outdoor recreation opportunities, forest products, and carbon sequestration services to expand and diversify local economies in one of the nation’s most impoverished regions.
