Project Grant 2206479

This $1.6 million project grant from the National Science Foundation's Biological Sciences program (CFDA 47.074) supports research at East Carolina University from September 2022 through August 2027. The university will examine how social, environmental, and governance factors shape the effectiveness of ecosystem-based adaptation approaches to tropical cyclones in mangrove and coral reef coastal communities in Fiji and Puerto Rico. Key products and services include analysis of remote sensing data to understand drivers of ecological change; development of an agent-based model and coastal flood damage model; and workshops, policy briefs, and online maps to share results with natural resource managers. East Carolina University will collaborate with the Wildlife Conservation Society and Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University via subawards totaling $199,006 to coordinate research activities in Fiji involving data collection, analysis, and knowledge sharing with local stakeholders.