By Matthew Cimitile, University Communications and Marketing
This past session, the Florida Legislature passed Senate Bill (SB) 302 to further advance the use of nature-based solutions in enhancing coastal resiliency. Examples of nature-based solutions include restoring mangrove forests for storm protection and establishing coastal wetlands to prevent erosion.
As the newly appointed Frank E. Duckwall Professor of Florida Studies, political ecologist Richard Mbatu will work to support the state’s efforts in using nature to solve problems.
“With more frequent and severe flooding, coastal erosion issues and saltwater intrusion into aquifers, we are experiencing a number of challenges on our coast,” Mbatu said. “Rather than relying on hard engineering, what my research focuses on and what SB 302 intends to do is implement nature’s natural ability to help us protect and prevent, adapt and build resiliency for our state’s coastal regions.”
Mbatu is an associate professor in the USF School of Geosciences and an expert on how forests impact people and the environment. His research focuses on sustainable development, forest resource management and national and international agreements.
Mbatu’s current work centers on coastal resilience to climate change in Florida, aimed at understanding the needs of vulnerable communities and strengthening their resilience to coastal hazards by implementing these approaches.
As part of the Duckwall Professorship, Mbatu will organize a yearly workshop to assess practices taking place in Tampa Bay and understand the contributions they are having in addressing coastal hazards. He plans to bring experts who work in city government, planning authorities, businesses and non-profit organizations together, from disciplines such as ecology, civil engineering, sociology and biology.
“It will provide a space to discuss nature-based solutions and learn what has been effective and what are still barriers. Overall, it is about enhancing the knowledge and practice of implementing nature-based solutions in Florida’s coastal environment,” Mbatu said.
The three-year Duckwall endowment is given to a tenured faculty member in the College of Arts and Sciences at USF St. Petersburg. It provides access to approximately $15,000 per year in funding to support research activities and events centered on studying Florida.
The Duckwall Professorship is part of USF’s Florida Studies Program, which brings together faculty from environmental science, history, political science, anthropology and other disciplines to create an integrated, in-depth exploration of the state's changing identity.
Mbatu is excited about the opportunity because he plans to use his research expertise and experience at the international level for local solutions.
Nature-based solutions uses the natural ability of the environment to enhance resiliency, such as the living shoreline on the USF St. Petersburg campus.
“My research focus has largely been very global, such as the role forests play in reducing emissions in Africa, and on multinational treaties and agreements. This will allow me to further reorient my research to Florida and more local issues,” he said.
Along with organizing workshops, conducting research and developing annual briefings on key findings, Mbatu will teach two classes focused on nature-based solutions for undergraduate and graduate students.
“My hope is that through these workshops and other activities, it will help contribute to meeting the objectives and goals of SB 302, which if successful will improve our environment, enhance the economy and advance our communities’ well-being.”
The Duckwall Professorship was launched in 1997 and is supported by generous donations from the Frank E. Duckwall Foundation. Frank E. Duckwall, a physicist turned successful businessman who ran an optics company in Tampa, decided to create a foundation dedicated to making the Tampa Bay region a better place.
When he passed in 1993, he gave most of his estate to the Duckwall Foundation. The funding has helped support numerous programs, scholarships and innovative research on Florida history and studies over the years.