PIRE: Mapping Evolutionary Process in the Face of Climate Change: An Integrated Approach to Education and Conservation Prioritization in Central Africa

PIRE：绘制应对气候变化的进化过程：中部非洲教育和保护优先事项的综合方法

• 批准号: 1243524
• 负责人: Thomas Smith
• 金额: $ 495万
• 依托单位: University of California-Los Angeles
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2013
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2013-01-01 至 2019-09-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1243524&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: PIRE; Mapping; Evolutionary; Process; Face

The overarching research goal of this project is to develop an integrated framework for conserving Central African biodiversity under climate change that is both evolutionarily-informed and grounded in the socioeconomic constraints of the region. Central African rainforests represent one of the most important centers of biological diversity in the world. While efforts have been made to prioritize regions for protection, habitat loss continues at an alarming rate severely limiting the ability of species to respond to climate change. This project unites researchers and students from the U.S., Cameroon, Gabon, United Kingdom, Germany, France and the Netherlands around an innovative research program that seeks to identify meaningful conservation measures to mitigate the effects of habitat loss and climate change. The international team will use multi-disciplinary approaches to: 1) map environmentally-associated genomic and phenotypic variation in a broad range of species and assess how this overlaps with patterns of species richness and protected areas; 2) evaluate how evolutionary adaptation, phenotypic plasticity and landscape connectivity might mediate future threats; and 3) develop an integrated prioritization scheme that ranks candidate areas for protection on their evolutionary potential, connectivity, estimated socioeconomic costs, degree of threat and cultural value. This project involves a broad range of partnerships between U.S., European and African universities, non-governmental organization and governmental agencies. Planned educational activities will promote scientific collaboration and exchange between partners through: 1) undergraduate and graduate educational programs that will partner U.S. and African students and provide cutting-edge training in the biological, environmental and social sciences; 2) annual professional development workshops for early career U.S. and African scientists and advanced graduate students; 3) region-wide research symposia and scientific exchange; 4) bilingual distance-learning programs; and 5) outreach to decision makers through policy workshops. This integrative program aligns well with NSF's Science, Engineering, and Education for Sustainability (SEES) program objectives in developing a workforce of globally engaged young investigators whose coordinated efforts will focus on sustainability science and education. These joint international research and educational efforts will enhance existing collaborations and establish new partnerships that will build a foundation for lasting conservation and sustainability in Central Africa. The project is funded by NSF's Office of International Science and Engineering (OISE).

该项目的总体研究目标是开发一个在气候变化下保护中非生物多样性的综合框架，该框架既要了解进化，又要以该地区的社会经济制约为基础。中非雨林是世界上最重要的生物多样性中心之一。虽然已经努力确定保护区域的优先次序，但栖息地的丧失仍在以惊人的速度继续，严重限制了物种应对气候变化的能力。该项目将来自美国、喀麦隆、加蓬、英国、德国、法国和荷兰的研究人员和学生联合起来，开展一项创新研究项目，旨在确定有意义的保护措施，以减轻栖息地丧失和气候变化的影响。国际团队将使用多学科方法：1)绘制与环境相关的物种基因组和表型变异，并评估其与物种丰富度和保护区模式的重叠程度；2)评估进化适应、表型可塑性和景观连通性如何介导未来的威胁；3)根据进化潜力、连通性、估计社会经济成本、威胁程度和文化价值，制定综合优先级方案，对候选保护区域进行排名。这个项目涉及美国、欧洲和非洲的大学、非政府组织和政府机构之间广泛的伙伴关系。计划中的教育活动将通过以下方式促进合作伙伴之间的科学合作与交流：1)与美国和非洲学生合作的本科和研究生教育项目，提供生物、环境和社会科学方面的尖端培训；2)为美国和非洲的早期职业科学家和高级研究生举办年度专业发展研讨会；3)区域性研究专题讨论会和科学交流；4)双语远程教育项目；5)通过政策研讨会与决策者接触。这个综合项目与美国国家科学基金会的可持续发展科学、工程和教育（SEES）项目目标相一致，该项目旨在培养一支全球参与的年轻研究人员队伍，他们的协调努力将集中在可持续发展科学和教育上。这些联合的国际研究和教育努力将加强现有的合作，并建立新的伙伴关系，为中非的持久保护和可持续性奠定基础。该项目由美国国家科学基金会国际科学与工程办公室（OISE）资助。