Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Alaska CESU | G20AS00051

Opportunity Information: Apply for G20AS00051

The Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Alaska CESU funding opportunity (Opportunity Number G20AS00051) is a US Geological Survey (USGS) discretionary grant offered through the Department of the Interior as a cooperative agreement. It is aimed specifically at supporting a CESU partner organization to carry out applied research and synthesis work focused on how communities and resource managers are adapting to climate-driven ecological transformation, with an emphasis on the Alaskan Arctic. The program sits within the Science and Technology and other Research and Development activity category (CFDA 15.820) and is structured to produce practical, science-based insights that can help decision-makers respond to rapid ecosystem change.

At the core of the opportunity is a recognition that warming temperatures are reshaping ecosystems in major ways, and that these ecological shifts have direct consequences for local and Indigenous communities, including impacts to livelihoods and the resources people depend on. The Arctic is highlighted as an especially urgent setting because climate and ecological change there are occurring faster than global averages. While many adaptation efforts are already underway across agencies, communities, and land managers, the opportunity notes a persistent challenge: managers often lack rigorous analysis of which adaptation responses are working, under what conditions they work, and how ecological and social factors interact to shape outcomes. The proposed work is therefore meant to close that gap by gathering and synthesizing real-world case studies, extracting lessons learned, and identifying adaptation strategies that remain effective and robust as conditions continue to change.

The project focus is twofold. First, the funded work will identify and develop regional case studies in the Alaskan Arctic that document adaptation actions responding to ecological transformation driven by climate change. Second, it will compare those Alaska-focused case studies to case studies from other regions, with the Great Plains provided as an example, to determine whether there are scientifically defensible patterns or commonalities that hold across very different ecosystems and social contexts. In practice, this comparison is intended to help separate strategies that are highly place-specific from those that may be broadly transferable, and to clarify which core principles of adaptation are most consistently associated with successful outcomes.

Only one award was expected under this announcement, with an award ceiling of $61,000. The opportunity was originally posted on April 13, 2020, with an original closing date of April 27, 2020. Eligibility is listed as "Others" with additional clarification referenced in the full announcement, but the key constraint presented here is that the recipient must be a CESU partner, aligning the award with the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit network and its collaborative, partnership-based approach to applied research.

Overall, this opportunity is designed to produce a synthesized, case-study-driven understanding of climate adaptation in the face of ecological transformation, centered on the Alaskan Arctic and strengthened through cross-regional comparison. The intended value is practical and decision-relevant: clearer evidence on effective adaptation responses, better understanding of social-ecological interactions, and a set of more robust strategies that can inform planning and management as projected climate impacts continue to unfold.

• The Department of the Interior, U. S. Geological Survey in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Alaska CESU" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.820.
• This funding opportunity was created on Apr 13, 2020.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 27, 2020. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $61,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for G20AS00051

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