ROSES 2024: A.7 Biodiversity and Ecological Conservation

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The NASA Earth Science Division (ESD) seeks proposals that advance the science and apply the principle of scaling satellite remote sensing products in the context of biological diversity and ecological conservation. Proposals should address one of two subelements, but not both in a single proposal. Research proposals (Section 4.1) will answer questions such as the following. How do we practically integrate observations from different platforms observing at different spatial extents and grain sizes to address biodiversity questions? How can satellite remote sensing further theoretical understanding of how life scales spatially? These proposals require: • NASA Earth observations (Section 5.1) and in-situ biological observations (Section 5.2), both of which must be essential to the proposed activity. Applications proposals (Section 4.2) will increase the adoption and use of existing NASA remote sensing derived conservation decision support systems through adding new capability that increases the scale of operation, meaning an increase in the geography of use, the breadth of the user community, and/or the thematic areas of use through additional development. In addition to the two requirements listed above for Research proposals, Applications proposals additionally require: • End User Participation (see Section 5.5.1.1) as a member of the project team with clearly defined roles and a schedule for engagement. • Statement of End User Decision-Making Need (see Section 5.5.1.2) which clearly describes how the project products will be used for decision-making within the end user organization(s), the authority of the end users to implement conservation action, and the projected benefit of the proposed decision support activity to their work. • Sustainable Transfer Plan (see Section 5.5.1.3) which clearly defines where the project products will be hosted during and after the project award period, barriers to use of the product(s), means to track product use, and a transition plan. • Applications Readiness Level (ARL) Assessment (Section 5.5.2) of the current decision support system and expected project ARL advances.

This is a joint solicitation seeking proposals to two different NASA Earth Science Division programs: Biological Diversity and Ecological Conservation. While these are different programs, each faces challenges, albeit not precisely the same challenges, addressing the broad issue of scale and scaling. NASA’s new Earth Science to Action Strategy seeks to strengthen connections between its basic research and applications activities, with each directly informing and complementing the other. This joint solicitation promotes an end-to-end Earth Science to Action approach to the issue of scale, including technological, biological, and programmatic elements of scale and scaling. The NASA Biological Diversity Program focuses on understanding the composition of life on Earth and how it changes over time. This includes documenting and identifying factors that determine the distribution, abundance, movement, demographics, physical or genetic characteristics, behavior, and/or physiology of organisms on Earth. The program supports the development of remote sensing tools, techniques, and associated models that enable this understanding. The program also seeks to increase knowledge of how biodiversity drives the wider Earth System. Research supported by this program combines observations from satellites, airborne platforms, and in-situ sensors to explore biodiversity patterns in terrestrial, freshwater, marine, and airborne ecosystems. NASA’s macroscopic observations illuminate patterns of biodiversity through direct identification of ecosystems and certain species. Understanding the processes behind these patterns along with the detection of finerscale patterns typically requires either the direct integration of remote sensing observations with in-situ sensor data gathered across spatial and temporal scales or the application of various types of quantitative or qualitative modeling. This integration of A.7-3 observations across scales continues to be a major theoretical and technological challenge for the program.

~$2M/year for Biological Diversity Research and also ~$2M/year for Ecological Conservation Applications

~8 to 12 for Biological Diversity Research and also ~8 to 12 for Ecological Conservation Applications

Please contact the program director. Notice of Intent is required.

Notices of Intent are requested by May 13, 2024,

June 13, 2024

Woody Turner Telephone: (202) 358-1662 Email: woody.turner@nasa.gov Keith Gaddis Telephone: (202) 358-4651 Email: keith.gaddis@nasa.gov