Bay Area Teen Uses Drones to Map the Wetlands He Grew Up Loving – KQED

Report on a Youth-Led Initiative for Wetland Conservation and Climate Resilience in the San Francisco Bay Area

1.0 Introduction and Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals

A youth-led research initiative in the San Francisco Bay Area is utilizing innovative drone technology to map and monitor local wetlands. This project, spearheaded by high school student Srivathsan Ramanujam, directly addresses the urgent threats posed by climate change-induced sea-level rise. The initiative’s objectives and outcomes are strongly aligned with several key United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), demonstrating a practical application of global targets at a local level.

• SDG 13 (Climate Action): The project’s primary motivation is to build resilience against the impacts of climate change, specifically rising sea levels.
• SDG 14 (Life Below Water): The work focuses on the conservation and restoration of critical coastal and marine ecosystems, namely tidal marshes.
• SDG 15 (Life on Land): The initiative contributes to the protection and monitoring of vital wetland ecosystems.
• SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities): The data generated helps inform strategies to make coastal communities more resilient to climate-related flooding.

2.0 Project Objectives and Methodology

The project was initiated in response to scientific predictions of significant sea-level rise and the historical loss of over 80% of the Bay Area’s tidal wetlands. The core goal is to provide high-resolution data to inform conservation and policy decisions.

1. Primary Objective: To conduct a comprehensive mapping of over 1,000 acres of wetlands across the South Bay.
2. Data Collection: To use drone technology to create high-definition maps, photos, and videos that track key environmental indicators.
3. Analysis: To monitor changes in elevation, erosion patterns, and plant health over time to identify marshland areas most vulnerable to future flooding.
4. Dissemination: To make data accessible to decision-makers, researchers, and the public to support restoration efforts and promote youth engagement.

3.0 Contribution to Specific SDG Targets

The initiative provides tangible contributions to specific targets within the SDG framework.

3.1 SDG 13: Climate Action

• Target 13.1: By identifying areas vulnerable to flooding, the project strengthens resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards. The data directly supports local climate adaptation strategies.
• Target 13.3: The initiative improves education and awareness-raising on climate change adaptation by engaging youth and presenting findings to public commissions and conferences.

3.2 SDG 14 & 15: Life Below Water & Life on Land

• Target 14.2 & 15.1: The project directly supports the sustainable management and protection of marine, coastal, and terrestrial ecosystems by providing crucial data for the conservation and restoration of wetlands.
• The research provides insight to help planners meet the regional goal of restoring 100,000 acres of tidal marsh, a critical habitat for biodiversity.

3.3 SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

• Target 11.5: The mapping of coastal erosion and flood-prone areas contributes significantly to reducing the risk of disasters for coastal communities, including underserved populations in the Monterey Bay region.
• The research provides a basis for developing nature-based solutions to enhance community resilience.

4.0 Stakeholder Engagement and Partnerships for the Goals (SDG 17)

The project exemplifies a multi-stakeholder approach, crucial for achieving the SDGs.

• Governmental Engagement: Findings have been presented to the City of Fremont’s Environmental Sustainability Commission and the Bay Conservation Development Commission to inform local policy.
• Academic Collaboration: A partnership with researchers from San Jose State University is in place to map coastal erosion’s impact on vulnerable communities.
• Community and Scientific Outreach: Research was presented at the State of the San Francisco Estuary Conference, engaging a broad audience of environmental planners and scientists. Public dissemination occurs via a dedicated website and YouTube channel.

5.0 Conclusion and Future Implications

This initiative serves as a powerful model for youth-driven, technology-enabled environmental stewardship. It demonstrates that local action can directly contribute to global sustainability targets. The data collected is invaluable for researchers and policymakers, particularly in light of potential cuts to federal data collection programs. By inspiring other young people, the project also fosters the next generation of leaders in conservation and climate science, furthering the aims of SDG 4 (Quality Education) and ensuring the long-term protection of vital ecosystems for future generations.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 13: Climate Action: The article directly addresses the impacts of “human-caused climate change,” specifically “rising sea levels,” which threaten the Bay Area’s wetlands. The entire initiative described is a response to these climate-related threats.
• SDG 14: Life Below Water: The focus is on protecting and restoring coastal ecosystems, namely the “tidal wetlands,” “marsh,” and the “San Francisco Estuary.” These are critical marine and coastal environments that fall under the purview of SDG 14.
• SDG 15: Life on Land: Wetlands are a crucial type of ecosystem covered by this goal. The article details the historical destruction of “more than 80% of the Bay Area’s tidal wetlands” and the current efforts to map, understand, and restore what remains.
• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities: The article connects wetland restoration to making communities safer. Ramanujam’s research provides insight into making communities “more resilient to sea level rise and by proxy flood risk reduction” and specifically looks at how coastal erosion affects “underserved communities.”
• SDG 4: Quality Education: The central figure is a high school student applying his knowledge and skills to a real-world environmental problem. The article highlights youth engagement in conservation and expresses a hope to “encourage youth to come into this field,” which relates to education for sustainable development.
• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals: The project is a collaborative effort. Ramanujam is “partnering with researchers from San Jose State” and presenting his work to governmental bodies like the “City of Fremont’s Environmental Sustainability Commission” and the “Bay Conservation Development Commission,” demonstrating a multi-stakeholder partnership.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

1. SDG 13: Climate Action

   • Target 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries. The article highlights this target through the effort to identify “marshland areas most vulnerable to future flooding” and use this data to make communities “more resilient to sea level rise.”

2. SDG 14: Life Below Water

   • Target 14.2: By 2020, sustainably manage and protect marine and coastal ecosystems to avoid significant adverse impacts, including by strengthening their resilience, and take action for their restoration. The article’s central theme is the mapping and restoration of coastal wetlands within the San Francisco Estuary, directly aligning with the goal to protect and restore these ecosystems.

3. SDG 15: Life on Land

   • Target 15.1: By 2020, ensure the conservation, restoration and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services, in particular…wetlands. The project’s goal is to help “decision-makers better understand what’s left” of the wetlands and to “accelerate efforts to restore the Bay Area’s historic waterfront.”
   • Target 15.5: Take urgent and significant action to reduce the degradation of natural habitats, halt the loss of biodiversity… The article notes that “More than 80% of the Bay Area’s tidal wetlands were destroyed,” indicating significant habitat degradation that the current restoration efforts aim to reverse.

4. SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

   • Target 11.5: By 2030, significantly reduce…the number of people affected…by disasters, including water-related disasters, with a focus on protecting the poor and people in vulnerable situations. The research contributes to “flood risk reduction” and specifically involves mapping “how coastal erosion is affecting underserved communities,” which directly supports this target.

5. SDG 4: Quality Education

   • Target 4.7: By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development. Ramanujam’s project, which uses drone technology and data analysis for conservation, is a practical application of skills for sustainable development. The article’s emphasis on encouraging “more youth that get engaged” reinforces this educational goal.

6. SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

   • Target 17.17: Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships. The collaboration between a student (civil society), university researchers (academia), and city/regional commissions (public sector) is a clear example of the multi-stakeholder partnerships this target aims to foster.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

1. Indicators for SDG 14 & 15 (Targets 14.2, 15.1, 15.5)

   • Area of restored ecosystems: The article explicitly mentions a “regional goal of eventually restoring 100,000 acres of tidal marsh” and notes that the “Bay Area has met over half its goal.” This provides a clear, quantitative indicator of progress.
   • Area of degraded habitat: The historical baseline of “more than 80% of the Bay Area’s tidal wetlands” being destroyed serves as an indicator of past degradation against which restoration efforts can be measured.
   • Ecosystem health metrics: Ramanujam’s maps track “elevation, erosion and plant health,” which are direct, measurable indicators of the condition and health of the wetland ecosystems.

2. Indicators for SDG 13 & 11 (Targets 13.1, 11.5)

   • Data on climate hazards: The article cites scientific predictions of sea-level rise (“between a foot by 2050 and more than six feet by the end of the century”) as a key indicator of the climate hazard being addressed.
   • Vulnerability assessment: The mapping of “marshland areas most vulnerable to future flooding” and the study of how “coastal erosion is affecting underserved communities” are activities that produce data which serves as an indicator of community vulnerability to climate-related disasters.

3. Indicators for SDG 4 (Target 4.7)

   • Youth participation in conservation: The article implicitly uses the number of young people involved as an indicator. It notes that “Ramanujam was the only high schooler who presented a poster” but that “other young people shared ideas,” suggesting a desire to increase this number as a measure of success.

Summary of Findings

Source: kqed.org