ULM biology graduate student receives $10K fellowship for wetland research – University of Louisiana Monroe | ULM

Research Fellowship Awarded for Louisiana Wetland Ecosystem Study, Advancing Sustainable Development Goals

1.0 Executive Summary

Grant Erbelding, a graduate student at the University of Louisiana Monroe, has been awarded a $10,000 Graduate Interjurisdictional Research Award Fellowship (GIRAF). This joint NASA and NOAA fellowship, administered through the LA Space Grant and LA Sea Grant programs, will fund a year-long research project focused on the health and resilience of Louisiana’s bottomland hardwood ecosystem. The project utilizes advanced remote sensing technologies to inform conservation strategies, directly contributing to the achievement of several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly those concerning climate action, biodiversity, and sustainable partnerships.

2.0 Research Objectives and Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals

The primary objective of the research is to analyze how Louisiana’s vital wetland forests are responding to climate change and anthropogenic pressures. By understanding these dynamics, the project aims to provide land managers with critical data for effective protection and restoration efforts. This work is intrinsically linked to the following SDGs:

1. SDG 15: Life on Land: The project directly addresses the protection and restoration of a critical terrestrial ecosystem. Bottomland hardwood forests are vital for biodiversity, serving as habitats for migratory birds and other species. The research combats ecosystem degradation by identifying vulnerable areas, contributing to the goal of halting biodiversity loss.
2. SDG 13: Climate Action: By studying the impacts of increased heat, drought, and altered flooding, the research strengthens resilience to climate-related hazards. Furthermore, these forests play a crucial role in climate regulation through carbon sequestration, and their preservation is a key nature-based solution for climate mitigation.
3. SDG 14: Life Below Water: The health of bottomland hardwood forests is essential for downstream riverine and coastal ecosystems. By acting as nutrient filters and regulating water flow, these forests help protect aquatic environments from pollution and degradation.
4. SDG 4: Quality Education: The fellowship supports high-level scientific research and training within a university setting. The Plant Ecology Lab functions as a dynamic learning environment, fostering the development of the next generation of scientists equipped to tackle complex environmental challenges.

3.0 Methodology and Technological Innovation

The research project is distinguished by its innovative, multi-scalar approach to ecological monitoring, which supports SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure by advancing scientific research capabilities. The methodology integrates three distinct data sources:

• Satellite Remote Sensing: Leveraging data from NASA and NOAA, the project will assess forest health and stress patterns over large geographical areas.
• Near-Surface Drone (UAV) Data: Drones equipped with specialized sensors will provide high-resolution data to characterize forest structure and condition at a finer scale.
• In-situ Field Measurements: On-site meteorological and phenological data collection will ground-truth the remote sensing data and provide a deeper understanding of ecosystem processes.

4.0 Collaborative Framework for Sustainable Impact

This project exemplifies SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals through its multi-stakeholder collaborative model. The success of the research and its application relies on a network of key partners:

• Academic Institutions: The University of Louisiana Monroe provides the primary research and educational foundation.
• Governmental Agencies: NASA and NOAA provide funding and critical satellite data, while the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) will collaborate to translate research findings into actionable conservation and management strategies.
• Inter-State Collaboration: The GIRAF program facilitates engagement with graduate students in North Carolina, fostering a broader network for sharing knowledge and addressing regional environmental challenges.

5.0 Knowledge Dissemination and Stakeholder Engagement

A core component of the fellowship is the dissemination of research findings to a wide audience. Mr. Erbelding will present his work at scientific conferences and community outreach events. This commitment to public engagement ensures that the scientific knowledge generated is accessible to stakeholders, policymakers, and the public, fostering greater environmental awareness and connecting the people of Louisiana to the valuable ecosystems that support their communities, in line with the principles of SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

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

• SDG 4: Quality Education

  The article focuses on a graduate student, Grant Erbelding, from the University of Louisiana Monroe, who receives a fellowship for his research. This highlights the role of higher education and scientific research in addressing environmental challenges. The Plant Ecology Lab is described as a “dynamic learning environment,” emphasizing education and skill development.

• SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

  The research subject is the “bottomland hardwood ecosystem,” which is a type of wetland. The article explicitly states these forests help with “flood regulation, and nutrient filtration,” which are key services related to water quality and management, directly connecting to the protection of water-related ecosystems.

• SDG 13: Climate Action

  The research directly investigates how Louisiana’s wetland forests are “coping with the effects of climate change,” specifically mentioning “increasing stress from heat and drought, brought on by longer, hotter summers.” The article also notes the role of these forests in “CO2 sequestration,” a critical component of climate change mitigation.

• SDG 15: Life on Land

  This is the most central SDG. The entire article is about research aimed at understanding, protecting, and restoring a terrestrial ecosystem—the “bottomland hardwood forests.” It discusses threats like habitat loss from “agriculture and logging pressures,” the importance of the ecosystem as “critical habitat for migratory birds and game species,” and the goal of enabling land managers to “effectively protect and restore these valuable ecosystems.”

• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

  The project is a result of multiple collaborations. The fellowship is a “NASA and NOAA joint fellowship” offered through the “LA Space Grant and LA Sea Grant programs.” The research results will be used in “collaboration with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.” Furthermore, the student will engage in a “collaborative project with graduate students from a similar, partnered program based in North Carolina,” showcasing multi-stakeholder and inter-institutional partnerships.

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

• SDG 4: Quality Education

  • Target 4.7: By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development. The research itself, and the plan to “share their work with wider audiences through… outreach activities” and “better connect the people of Louisiana with the valuable, beautiful ecosystems,” directly contributes to education for sustainable development.

• SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

  • Target 6.6: By 2020, protect and restore water-related ecosystems, including mountains, forests, wetlands, rivers, aquifers and lakes. The research project’s primary goal is to provide land managers with “the tools to effectively protect and restore these valuable ecosystems,” which are explicitly identified as “forested wetlands.”

• SDG 13: Climate Action

  • Target 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries. The project seeks to understand “how these wetland forests are responding to and coping with increasing stress from heat and drought,” which is a direct study of ecosystem resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards.
  • Target 13.3: Improve education, awareness-raising and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning. The research aims to understand the impacts of climate change on forests and disseminate these findings to land managers (institutional capacity) and the public (awareness-raising).

• 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 forests, wetlands… The research focuses on “bottomland hardwood forests,” a type of forested wetland, with the explicit goal of enabling their protection and restoration.
  • Target 15.2: By 2020, promote the implementation of sustainable management of all types of forests, halt deforestation, restore degraded forests… The research directly supports this by developing “new, innovative methods” and tools for land managers to apply in the “ongoing management of these forests.”
  • Target 15.5: Take urgent and significant action to reduce the degradation of natural habitats, halt the loss of biodiversity… The article notes that these forests are “critical habitat” and have been reduced to “25% of their historical range” due to human pressures, highlighting the urgency that this research addresses.

• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

  • Target 17.16: Enhance the global partnership for sustainable development, complemented by multi-stakeholder partnerships… The project exemplifies this through the collaboration between the University of Louisiana Monroe (academia), NASA and NOAA (national agencies), LA Sea Grant (state/federal program), and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (state agency).
  • Target 17.17: Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships… The fellowship and the subsequent collaboration with the state wildlife department is a clear example of an effective public partnership to achieve sustainability goals.

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

• Indicators for SDG 15 (Life on Land)

  • Implied Indicator (related to 15.1.1 – Forest area as a proportion of total land area): The article provides a baseline metric of degradation by stating that “Louisiana’s bottomland hardwoods [are] reduced to barely 25% of their historical range.” Progress in restoration could be measured against this figure.
  • Implied Indicator (related to 15.2.1 – Progress towards sustainable forest management): The research itself aims to create new ways to measure progress. The use of “drone and satellite data” to “identify and track where they’re most vulnerable” and to understand “patterns of forest health and resilience” implies the development of new, technology-based indicators for monitoring forest health and management effectiveness.

• Indicators for SDG 4 (Quality Education)

  • Implied Indicator (related to financial aid for education): The awarding of a “$10,000” fellowship is a specific financial indicator of support for graduate-level education and research in fields relevant to sustainable development.

• Indicators for SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals)

  • Implied Indicator (related to 17.17.1 – Amount of United States dollars committed to public-private and civil society partnerships): The $10,000 fellowship from a partnership of public institutions (NASA, NOAA, LA Sea Grant) is a direct monetary measure of this commitment. The existence of the “NASA and NOAA joint fellowship” and the formal “partnership with the LDWF” serve as qualitative indicators of institutional partnerships being formed and activated.

4. Summary Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: ulm.edu