US-Tanzania Planning Visit: Building a Research Collaboration on the Dynamics of Mangrove Ecosystem Services and Poverty Traps

University Of Rhode Island, Kingston RI

Investigators

Abstract

This award supports a planning visit for PI Emi Uchida from the University of Rhode Island to initiate interdisciplinary research and an education partnership between the U.S. and Tanzania on the dynamic linkages between mangrove ecosystem services and poverty traps. The planning trip will bring together experts and university students from the U.S. and Tanzania to identify research gaps and innovative educational opportunities where potential for collaboration is the greatest. The planning trip will feature a series of interdisciplinary discussions led by experts in mangrove ecology, ecohydrology, development and environmental economics, and sociology and experts from local nongovernmental organizations with experience in coastal management in Tanzania. The planning trip and the collaborative preliminary data collection by the U.S. and Tanzanian graduate students will provide the participants with opportunities to develop a strong network for advancing international collaborative research that transcends disciplines in natural and social sciences. The research proposals will address sustainability issues of a critical importance to coastal Sub-Saharan Africa and other regions where mangrove forests provide critical benefits to the poor. The goal of the visit is to develop collaborative research and education proposals to be submitted to NSF programs.