The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) has announced $660 million in funding to the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) to help reverse the loss of wetlands along Louisiana’s coast.

The largest single conservation investment in the history of NFWF was awarded from its Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund (GEBF), which received more than $2.5 billion from BP and Transocean in settlements of federal criminal environmental charges brought by the United States related to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster. Under the settlements, GEBF funding allocated to projects in the State of Louisiana—a total of $1.272 billion—must be used to support barrier island restoration and river diversion projects.

The commitment will support construction of the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion (MBSD), the first and most significant of two planned sediment diversions in Louisiana that over 50 years are expected to build or sustain approximately 20 square miles of additional land. MBSD will improve the sustainability of other projects in the vicinity, providing sediment that will help those areas maintain their wetlands and buffering communities against storm surges. As required by the terms of the settlement documents, as the project was developed, NFWF consulted with CPRA, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and NOAA.

“This award of $660 million…will help reverse the historic loss of wetlands along the Louisiana coast,” said NFWF executive director and CEO Jeff Trandahl. “The wetlands in the vicinity of the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion were among the most heavily oiled as a result of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and we are pleased to support CPRA’s efforts to continue restoring these vital resources.”

“The Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion is an innovative, first-of-its-kind project that will bring unprecedented strength to Louisiana’s coastal program,” said Chip Kline, executive assistant to the governor of Louisiana for coastal activities. “The project will restore areas experiencing some of the highest rates of land loss in the world for decades to come through sustainable land building. Moving forward with this project is a monumental milestone...one that would not have been possible without NFWF. We’re grateful for their continued collaboration and support throughout project development. This award represents a significant investment in conserving Louisiana’s coast and furthers NFWF’s support of CPRA and Louisiana’s coastal program.”

(Getty Images/Jaime Tuchman)