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PhD Student Donald Fonseca Awarded NOAA Fellowship

July 9, 2024 Careers

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Wetland restoration
Wetland restoration, a type of a nature-based solution.

Donald Fonseca, a PhD student in the College of Natural Sciences’s Department of Environmental Conservation, was recently awarded a Margaret A. Davidson Graduate Fellowship from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The fellowship will support Donald's work in assessing the ecological and socioeconomic efficacy of nature-based infrastructure for enhancing climate resilience in the Connecticut National Estuarine Research Reserve (CNERR).  

This is considered a very competitive fellowship in the field, and NOAA’s selection of Fonseca’s research is a product of the strength of the proposal. Of the National Estuarine Research Reserve System’s 30 designated areas, only one person was chosen for each reserve from a national pool. Fonseca will represent the CNERR. 

Image
A man in a blue shirt standing against a tree
Donald Fonseca, PhD student in the Department of Environmental Conservation

“The specter of climate change looms large over estuarine habitats and coastal communities, posing an imminent threat to their ecological integrity and the well-being of their inhabitants,” explained Fonseca. “As a result, municipalities grappling with distressing environmental challenges often bear a disproportionate burden of diverse and adverse climate impacts and are less resilient.”  

In the CNERR, a region characterized by its unique ecological significance, a sizeable portion of the state's environmental justice communities find themselves situated within the watershed, underscoring the urgency of understanding and addressing the localized ramifications of climate change. In response to these challenges, the adoption of nature-based solutions has become a strategy to enhance community resilience in the face of climate change.  

As effective as nature-based solutions may be, a critical research gap exists: to date, there has not been a comprehensive assessment conducted to understand the impacts of climate change on communities within the reserve, particularly the disproportionate effects on environmental justice communities. This underscores the need for a nuanced understanding of the ecological and socioeconomic efficacy of nature-based infrastructure mitigation strategies at the local level.  

“The CNERR is a crucible for investigating the intricate relationships between climate change, ecosystem services, and community well-being,” argued Fonseca. “The ecosystem services provided by this reserve's estuarine habitats play a vital role in supporting the livelihoods of local communities, making it imperative to assess the extent of their vulnerability to climate change. Moreover, the efficacy of nature-based solutions, often heralded as a panacea for climate resilience, needs rigorous examination, including the exploration of their pros and cons in the context of the reserve.” 

The research, made possible through the Margaret A. Davidson Graduate Fellowship, will allow Fonseca to address the following priority management needs of the CNERR: 

  • Estuarine habitats and coastal communities are threatened by climate change. 
  • Distressed municipalities are often disproportionately impacted by these effects, with 44% of Connecticut’s environmental justice communities located within the reserve’s watershed. 
  • Nature-based infrastructure is promoted as a method of increasing community resilience to climate change, but the ecosystem services provided and the impact on local communities are largely underassessed at the local level.  
  • The reserve’s partners need more research on the ecological and socioeconomic efficacy of these mitigation strategies, and social science research to better understand the barriers to adopting nature-based strategies.  

Furthermore, Fonesca’s work proposes the following benefits and outcomes:  

  • A comprehensive understanding of the relationships between ecosystem services, climate change impacts, and nature-based solutions in the CNERR.  
  • The identification of vulnerable areas and communities through spatial analysis.  
  • An assessment of the climate sensitivity of ecosystem services, the development of targeted adaptation strategies, and an analysis of the economic, ecological, and social feasibility of nature-based solutions for increased community resilience. 
  • The development of outreach strategies, including informational resources and stakeholder engagement, to promote implementing nature-based solutions in the refuge. 

The multidimensional approach to this research, which includes quantification, environmental justice, resilience, and actionable strategies, aims to not only conserve the CNERR but also set a precedent for bolstering similar ecosystems worldwide. By quantifying ecological metrics and integrating considerations of environmental justice, the research enhances understanding of ecosystem dynamics and vulnerabilities in the face of climate change.  

“This comprehensive approach not only informs academic discourse but also provides practical tools for stakeholders to implement sustainable practices and resilience-building strategies tailored to their specific ecological contexts,” Fonseca contended. “By safeguarding CNERR as a unique natural asset, this research underscores the importance of preserving biodiversity and ecosystem services crucial for building resilient and sustainable communities globally, thus contributing significantly to global conservation efforts in the face of environmental challenges.” 

To learn more about the Margaret A. Davidson Graduate Fellowship, click here.

Article posted in Careers for Faculty , Prospective students , Current students , and Public

Related programs

  • Environmental Science

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  • Environmental Conservation

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