NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology FY 2019: Holistic Restoration: Integrating Community Ecology into Coastal Mangrove Conservation

这一行动为NSF 2019财年生物学博士后研究奖学金提供资金，扩大了生物学领域代表性不足群体的参与。该奖学金支持一项针对该研究员的研究和培训计划，该计划将增加生物学中代表性不足的群体的参与。沿海湿地是全球最有价值、最受威胁的生态系统之一。鉴于它们的地位不断下降，已投入大量努力进行保护和修复。然而，大多数努力未能实现既定的目标，因为强调的做法植根于对这些生态系统的不完全了解。由于传统的恢复方法，我们目前对维持沿海湿地健康和功能的因素的了解存在差距。此外，旨在保护生态系统的保护做法往往没有考虑到当地的价值观、知识体系和需求(统称为“生物文化价值”)，这一疏忽可能会导致冲突并影响保护结果。因此，该项目旨在将沿海湿地的生态价值与周边社区的相关生物文化价值联系起来。这种跨学科的方法致力于引导保护实践朝着公正和可持续的解决方案迈进。因此，这项工作产生的恢复和管理建议将对环境保护和文化保护需求重叠的各种全球地点的保护和恢复方法产生影响。本研究的目标是(1)解决滨海湿地生态系统生态学中的生物知识缺口，(2)确定与滨海湿地相关的社会和生物文化价值，(3)将生态数据和生物文化知识和价值纳入滨海湿地恢复实践和土地管理决策。这些目标将通过以下方式实现：(1)进行消费者在场-缺席实地试验，以确定对各种基本沿海湿地过程的影响；(2)开展焦点小组和不限成员名额的关键信息提供人访谈，以及系统的文献综述；以及(3)与当地环境管理官员接触，利用实地试验和访谈的结果，介绍恢复的最佳做法。该项目还旨在通过各种手段，包括AMNH赞助的包容性保护社区倡议、科学研究指导计划和奖学金赞助的研究助理，吸引来自传统上代表性较低背景的高中生和本科生参与保护工作，增加多样性、公平性和包容性。此外，具体的培训目标包括制定和试行焦点小组访谈程序，让当地政府和土地管理机构参与数据驱动的恢复决策，并结合生态和社会文化角度来改善保护结果。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This action funds an NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology for FY 2019, Broadening Participation of Groups Under-represented in Biology. The fellowship supports a research and training plan for the Fellow that will increase the participation of groups underrepresented in biology. Coastal wetlands are among the most valuable and threatened ecosystems across the globe. Given their declining status, significant effort has been devoted to conservation and restoration. However, most efforts fail to meet stated goals because of an emphasis on practices rooted in an incomplete understanding of these ecosystems. Due to traditional restoration approaches, a knowledge gap exists in our current understanding of the factors that maintain the health and functioning of coastal wetlands. Further, conservation practices that aim to protect ecosystems often fail to consider local values, knowledge systems, and needs (altogether known as 'biocultural values'), an oversight which can cause conflict and impact conservation outcomes. This project therefore aims to link the ecological values of coastal wetlands with the associated biocultural values anchored to the surrounding communities. This interdisciplinary approach endeavors to guide conservation practices towards just and sustainable solutions. The restoration and management recommendations that result from this work will thus have implications for conservation and restoration approaches in the various global locales where the need for environmental conservation and cultural preservation overlap.The objectives of this study are to (1) address a biological knowledge gap in coastal wetland ecosystem ecology, (2) determine the social and biocultural values associated with coastal wetlands, and (3) incorporate ecological data and biocultural knowledge and values into coastal wetland restoration practice and land management decisions. These objectives will be addressed by (1) conducting a consumer presence-absence field experiment to determine impacts on various essential coastal wetland processes, (2) conducting focus groups and open-ended key informant interviews along with a systematic literature review, and (3) engaging with local environmental management officials to inform best-practices for restoration utilizing the results of the field experiment and interviews. This project also aims to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion in conservation by engaging high school and undergraduate students from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds through various means, including the AMNH-sponsored Inclusive Conservation Community Initiative, the Science Research Mentoring Program, and Fellowship-sponsored research assistants. Additionally, specific training objectives include developing and piloting focus group interview procedures, engaging local government and land management agencies in data-driven restoration decisions, and combining ecological and sociocultural perspectives to improve conservation outcomes.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.