Report on Ecological Research Contributions to Sustainable Development Goals

Advancing SDG 14 (Life Below Water) and SDG 15 (Life on Land) through Coastal Ecosystem Restoration

• Research focuses on the loss and recovery dynamics of foundational species to inform effective management and protection strategies, directly supporting SDG Target 14.2 (sustainably manage and protect marine and coastal ecosystems).
• Work spans critical coastal habitats, including salt marshes, seagrass meadows, and kelp forests, contributing to the conservation of coastal areas (SDG 14.5) and halting biodiversity loss (SDG 15.5).
• The development of guiding principles for restoration strategies provides actionable frameworks that have directly impacted coastal restoration practices throughout California.

Strengthening Climate Action (SDG 13) and Building Sustainable Communities (SDG 11)

• As a California Sea Grant Fellow with the Ocean Protection Council, research initiatives addressed sea-level rise and enhanced coastal resilience, contributing to SDG Target 13.1 (strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards).
• This work directly supports SDG Target 11.5 by aiming to protect coastal communities from the adverse impacts of climate change.
• The management of large-scale coastal mitigation projects, such as through the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station Mitigation Monitoring Program (SONGS MMP), reinforces the ecological health and resilience of coastal zones.

Fostering Partnerships (SDG 17) and Enhancing Scientific Literacy (SDG 4)

1. Collaborative Leadership: As co-principal investigator of the SONGS MMP, Beheshti oversees large-scale projects and manages a team of nine staff, exemplifying effective multi-stakeholder partnerships for sustainable development (SDG 17.16).
2. Policy Influence: Innovative work has directly impacted coastal policy in California, demonstrating the successful translation of scientific research into governance for sustainability.
3. Applied Science Communication: A stated priority is to make complex scientific analyses understandable to a broad audience, which promotes public awareness and knowledge for sustainable development in alignment with SDG Target 4.7.
4. Recognition of Excellence: The Cronin Award from the Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation (CERF) recognizes this integrated approach, combining academic excellence with real-world application and service to advance sustainable coastal science.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the Article

SDG 14: Life Below Water

• The article extensively discusses Beheshti’s work on conserving, restoring, and building resilience in coastal habitats such as salt marshes, seagrass meadows, and kelp forests. This directly aligns with SDG 14, which aims to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas, and marine resources. Her research on the “loss and recovery dynamics of foundation species” and the development of “guiding principles for restoration strategies” are core activities supporting this goal.

SDG 13: Climate Action

• The article mentions Beheshti’s work on “sea-level rise and coastal resilience initiatives.” This connects her efforts to SDG 13, which calls for urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts. Building coastal resilience is a key adaptation strategy to mitigate the effects of climate change, such as rising sea levels.

SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

• Beheshti’s career demonstrates a strong emphasis on collaboration, which is the essence of SDG 17. The article highlights her fellowship with the Ocean Protection Council, her role as a co-principal investigator of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station Mitigation Monitoring Program (SONGS MMP), and her “collaborative leadership across diverse projects.” These activities exemplify multi-stakeholder partnerships between academia, government-affiliated bodies, and large-scale programs to achieve conservation and resilience goals.

Identified SDG Targets

SDG 14: Life Below Water

1. 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 in order to achieve healthy and productive oceans.” Beheshti’s work directly addresses this target through her focus on “restoration and resilience-building efforts” in coastal habitats and her aim to “understand the loss and recovery dynamics of foundation species” to inform “effective management and protection.”
2. Target 14.a: “Increase scientific knowledge, develop research capacity and transfer marine technology… in order to improve ocean health.” Her career as a researcher, her “innovative work” that has “helped advance estuarine ecological theory,” and her “scholarly output” all contribute to increasing the scientific knowledge needed to protect marine ecosystems.

SDG 13: Climate Action

1. Target 13.1: “Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries.” The article explicitly states her work on “sea-level rise and coastal resilience initiatives,” which is a direct action to strengthen the adaptive capacity of coastal regions to climate-related hazards.

SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

1. Target 17.17: “Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships, building on the experience and resourcing strategies of partnerships.” Her work with the “Ocean Protection Council” and the “San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station Mitigation Monitoring Program (SONGS MMP)” are clear examples of the cross-sectoral partnerships this target promotes.

Implied Indicators for Measuring Progress

SDG 14: Life Below Water

1. Indicator for Target 14.2: The article implies progress can be measured by the scale and success of restoration projects. The “San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station Mitigation Monitoring Program (SONGS MMP)” and the goal of developing “guiding principles for restoration strategies” suggest an indicator could be the area of coastal and marine ecosystems under restoration and protection.
2. Indicator for Target 14.a: Her “scholarly output” and efforts to “advance estuarine ecological theory” imply that progress can be measured by the number of scientific publications and new ecological models or principles developed for coastal management.

SDG 13: Climate Action

1. Indicator for Target 13.1: Her work on “coastal resilience initiatives” and influencing “coastal policy” suggests an indicator could be the number of new policies, plans, or initiatives implemented for coastal adaptation and resilience.

SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

1. Indicator for Target 17.17: The mention of “collaborative leadership across diverse projects” implies an indicator could be the number and type of multi-stakeholder partnerships established between academic institutions, government councils, and mitigation programs.

Summary of Findings

Source: news.ucsb.edu