Healthy Ecosystems Grants
The Gulf Research Program’s ecosystem-focused grants to date have included a variety of topics, including the coupled natural-human system, environmental restoration, data synthesis, and ecosystem services.
Not accepting applications
Cycle 4 (Awarded 2020)
Topic: Improving understanding of how natural processes and human activities interact to affect coastal ecosystems in the U.S. Gulf Coast region
Total Awards: 6 projects totaling $5.27 million
Grant Description: Projects to support use-inspired research to improve understanding of how coastal ecosystems in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico region are affected by or interact with natural processes (e.g., sea level rise, watershed hydrology) and human activities (e.g., coastal development, energy-related infrastructure, recreational and commercial fisheries) as part of a coupled natural-human system.
Awarded Projects
- A Coupled Natural-Human Framework for Risk Assessment of Coastal Communities from Land-Use and Climate Change
- Development of Gulf Coast Resiliency Management Plan Using Sentinel Species and Natural Infrastructure
- Ecological and Economic Impacts of Land-Use and Climate Change on Coastal Food Webs and Fisheries
- Ecological and Social Drivers of Mangrove Expansion and Restoration in the Future Gulf of Mexico
- OysterFlows: Using Science and Data Visualization to Evaluate Freshwater Impacts to Oysters in the Gulf
- Panacea or Pandora’s Box: Coastal Restoration and Recreational Fishing Livelihoods in Salt Marshes of Coastal Louisiana
Cycle 3 (Awarded 2018)
Topic: Integration of Monitoring and Evaluation into Environmental Restoration Projects to Improve Outcomes in the Gulf of Mexico
Total Awards: 5 projects totaling $3,574,994
Grant Type: Research-Practice
Grant Type Description: For projects that bring together researchers, practitioners, and other perspectives to collaborate on efforts that both inform research and facilitate use of research results.
Awarded Projects
- Developing an Integrated Monitoring and Assessment Framework for Evaluating Ecosystem Service Outcomes from Seagrass Restoration in the Gulf of Mexico
- The Efficacy of Marsh Terraces in Enhancing and Restoring Gulf Coastal Wetlands
- Standard Logical Models and Metrics for Gulf Restoration: Linking Project Outcomes to Economic, Health, and Well-Being Benefits for People
- Transport Thresholds for Fine Sediment in Vegetation
- Using Past Seagrass Restoration Projects to Inform Research and Improve the Monitoring of Future Restoration Efforts
Cycle 2 (Awarded 2015)
Topic: Tapping the Potential of Existing Observations and Monitoring Data Through Integration and Synthesis
Total Awards: 9 projects totaling $4,416,112
Grant Type: Synthesis
Grant Type Description: For projects that bring together methods or data from different disciplines and sectors to generate novel insights or develop new approaches.
Awarded Projects
- Improved Understanding of the Northern Gulf of Mexico Pelagic Ecosystem: Integration, Synthesis, and Modeling of High-Resolution Zooplankton and Fish Data
- Integrating Visual and Acoustic Data on Cetacean Abundance and Habitat in Gulf of Mexico Deepwater
- Living Shorelines: Synthesizing the Results of a Decade of Implementation in Coastal Alabama
- Quantifying Environmental and Anthropogenic Drivers of Sea Turtle Distribution and Abundance in the Gulf of Mexico
- Synthesis of Historical Observations Using Novel Model Approaches to Improve Understanding and Predictability of Deep Gulf of Mexico Circulation
- Synthesizing Spatial Dynamics of Recreational Fish and Fisheries to Inform Restoration Strategies: Red Drum in the Gulf of Mexico
- The Transport of Oil to the Coast in the Top Centimeter of the Water Column
- Understanding the Trajectory of Coastal Salt Marsh Structure, Function, and Processes in the Face of Sea-Level Rise: A Synthesis from Historical Imagery, Biophysical Processes, and Hierarchical Modeling
- Utilizing Secondary Data to Assess the Health and Health System Impacts of Natural and Technological Disasters in the Gulf
Cycle 1 (Awarded 2015)
Topic: Linking Ecosystem Services Related to and Influenced by Oil and Gas Production to Human Health and Well-being
Total Awards: 6 projects totaling $774,328
Grant Type: Exploratory
Grant Type Description: For projects that jumpstart innovations and transformative ideas for novel approaches, technologies, or methods in their early phases
Awarded Projects
- Advancing Optimization of Ecosystem Services to Inform Management and Restoration of the Gulf of Mexico
- Assessing Long-Term Linkages Between Development of Oil and Gas Industry-Related Coastal Infrastructure, Societal Well-Being and Ecosystem Function in Coastal Louisiana
- Developing a Decision Support Tool to Evaluate Ecosystem Services and Associated Uncertainties Using a Bayesian Belief Network
- The Effect of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill on Human Well-Being in the Gulf of Mexico
- Expanding Ecosystem Service Provisioning from Coastal Restoration to Minimize Environmental and Energy Constraints
- Modeling Stress-Associated Health Effects of Multiple Impacted Ecosystem Services in the Gulf of Mexico