Supporting the Louisiana Coastal Restoration Workforce

Kosmos is proud to support innovative projects in or near the communities we operate in and partner with local organizations seeking to make an impact in their community. 

In the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, a region highly vulnerable to climate change, we partnered with Tierra Foundation, a Louisiana-based non-profit focused on wetlands restoration and the development of blue carbon capture projects. Tierra’s mission is to conserve, protect, and restore coastal wetland ecosystems by creating innovative solutions that support investment in wetlands.

Our partnership began with research on the potential for blue carbon capture projects. In 2021, we extended our partnership with Tierra to launch a Climate Mitigation Workforce initiative with two objectives: 

1. Provide paid job training for workers in the greater New Orleans area disproportionately impacted by climate change and the energy transition. 
2. Engage and educate this workforce on how wetland restoration protects communities from storms, sea level rise, and shoreline erosion, as well as improves water quality and provides viable habitats for wildlife.

To accomplish these goals, we brought in two additional partners experienced in coastal restoration and job training – Common Ground Relief and Louisiana Green Corps. 

LOUISIANA COASTAL RESTORATION WORKFORCE

In 2022-2023, the partnership supported the Louisiana Coastal Restoration Workforce, 57 members across two cohorts, by providing five Coastal Education Workshops about the wetland ecosystem and the role it plays in protecting the Mississippi River Corridor from hurricanes and the impacts of climate change. The workshops combined classroom training with field activities in areas with healthy, degrading and ghost ecosystems to highlight the need to protect wetlands and prevent erosion. 

The Workforce also engaged with local nurseries to learn about efforts to restore vulnerable areas, then then applied their knowledge by working with Common Ground Relief to plant 1,200 trees in areas on the Louisiana coast identified by the partnership as most suitable for restoration. The next iteration of this partnership will support two Fellows in a full-time placement with Common Ground Relief to develop skills relevant to ecosystem management.

AWARD WINNING

The Louisiana Coastal Restoration Workforce won The Corps Networks’ 2023 Project of the Year Award for its innovate approach to providing both the community and young people with meaningful improvements. Kosmos is proud to support the Workforce as it aims to connect underserved communities to critical coastal restoration and climate mitigation projects.