Mississippi River Delta - community action against loss
“The health of the Pointe Au Chien people and the health of their surrounding environment are one and the same.”
The Pointe-Au-Chien Indian Tribe, located in the Terrebonne Basin of coastal Louisiana, has lived for generations in close relationship with the Mississippi River Delta. The wetlands sustained traditional fishing, shrimping, and crabbing, while also buffering homes and sacred sites from storms. Today, however, the Terrebonne Basin is the fastest eroding river basin in the United States. Offshore oil and gas drilling, levee construction, saltwater intrusion, and increasingly powerful hurricanes have accelerated land loss. Historical village areas have already been displaced, and with each acre lost, cultural lifeways, language, and identity are placed further at risk.
“When the land is gone, we are gone”
Despite these challenges, the community is innovating to protect both land and culture. The PACIT is partnering with the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana (CRCL) to participate in an oyster shell recycling program with New Orleans restaurants to build living shorelines that reduce wave energy and create new habitat. They are also working with external partners on the construction of sediment terraces to slow erosion and restore wetlands. These nature-based solutions demonstrate how local ecological knowledge and community leadership can strengthen resilience. After Hurricane Ida in 2021, community-led recovery underscored both the vulnerability and determination of the tribe, highlighting the urgency of greater recognition and resources.
“We are a proud and resilient people who continue to occupy the territory of our ancestors.”
Example of a Nature-based Solution - designing living shorelines using bagged oyster shells. Photo credit: Pointe-au-Chien Oyster Shell Project, Restore Coastal Louisiana. All Rights Reserved.
What would a UN Convention on River Deltas do?
Currently, PACIT lacks full federal recognition, limiting access to adaptation funding and decision-making spaces. A UN Convention on River Deltas could: 1) Connect Pointe-au-Chien with other delta communities worldwide, reducing isolation and enabling knowledge exchange. 2) Mobilize resources for scaling up community-led shoreline restoration and erosion-response mechanisms. 3) Advocate for climate justice, ensuring that Indigenous delta communities gain recognition, resources, and a voice in shaping resilience strategies. For the Pointe-au-Chien Indian Tribe, survival depends on land — and land depends on the river. Protecting one means protecting the other.
Contributed by: Georgie Ferguson, Pointe Au Chien Indian Tribe, Louisiana. You can find out more about the Pointe-Au-Chien Oyster Shell Project here.
