Center for Environmental Measuring and Modeling, Gulf Ecosystem Measurement & Modeling Division
| name |
email |
phone |
|
| Ahjond Stefan Garmestani |
garmestani.ahjond@epa.gov |
864-934-9320 |
This research focuses on an approach to ecosystem management that incorporates what is valued most about our national water resources. It incorporates voluntary participation into environmental management in conjunction with regulatory oversight. The research integrates social, economic, and environmental science perspectives to devise management approaches to address such environmental challenges as combined sewer overflows (CSO), nutrient loading, and stream degradation due to stormwater runoff. Watershed-scale research focuses not only on the overall effectiveness of green infrastructure (GI) in reducing stormwater volume, but on the synergistic benefits of GI implementation for improving ecological, social, and economic sustainability at the community level. The project will assess the ecological and social impacts associated with the GI initiatives, in the context of long-term CSO mitigation plans.
The Sustainable Environments Branch uses a multidisciplinary approach, which employs ecologists, economists, engineers, environmental scientists, and physical and social scientists, to address sustainability issues in watershed and regional environmental management. Together with other team members the Associate will produce studies on environmental and social implications of watershed management that furthers sustainability. The Associate is also expected to conduct research on ecological and social indicators of the environmental benefits of green infrastructure and create peer reviewed publications. The applicant will be a social scientist with a JD or PhD, with a focus on water law, water policy, urban social-ecological systems, environmental management, and resilience.
References
Garmestani AS, Allen CR, Benson MH: Special Feature: Law and Social-Ecological Resilience, Part I: Contributions from Resilience 2011. Ecology and Society http://www.ecologyandsocietyorg/issues/view.php?sf=78, 2013
Garmestani AS, Allen CR, Cabezas H: Nebraska Law Review 87: 1036, 2009
Stormwater management; Green infrastructure; Water law; Water policy; Resilience; Sustainability; Environmental management; Ecosystem services; Urban systems;