1. Introduction: Perspectives on the Restoration of the Mississippi Delta -- 2. The Once and Future Delta -- 3. How Deltas Work: A Brief Look at the Mississippi River Delta in a Global Context -- 4. The Last Naturally Active Delta Complexes of the Mississippi River (LNDM): Discovery and Implications -- 5. Adapting to Change in the Lowermost Mississippi River: Implications for Navigation, Flood -- 6. Using What We Have: Optimizing Sediment Management in Mississippi River Delta Restoration to Improve the Economic Viability of the Nation -- 7. Fisheries in a Changing Delta -- 8. The Influence of Nutrients on the Coastal Wetlands of the Mississippi Delta -- 9. Complexities of Resilience: Adaptation and Change within Human Communities of Coastal Louisiana -- 10. The Importance of Mississippi Delta Restoration on the Local and National Economies -- 11. The Threats to the Value of Ecosystem Goods and Services of the Mississippi Delta -- 12. The Impact of Global Climate Change and Energy Scarcity on Mississippi Delta Restoration Moerschbaecher -- 13. Summary and Conclusions: The Cost of Inaction and the Need for Urgency. Human impacts and emerging mega-trends such as climate change and energy scarcity will impact natural resource management in this century. This is especially true for deltas because of their ecological and economic importance and their sensitivity to climate change. The Mississippi delta is one of the largest in the world and has been strongly impacted by human activities. Currently there is an ambitious plan for restoration of the delta. This book, by a renown group of delta experts, provides an overview of the challenges facing the delta and charts - a way forward to sustainable management.