Global Impact: Sustainability Research Around the World

Portland State scientists are tackling environmental issues around the globe. Here’s a sampling of recent research by faculty and students.

Chile | The future of forest ecosystems

In the mountains of the Patagonian region of South America, Andrés Holz, geography faculty, and doctoral student Paola Arroyo-Vargas study how factors including vegetation, climate change, wildfires and human activity impact the resiliency of forests, potentially rendering these ecosystems more prone to devastating burns and ecological collapse. Their research supports land management and post-fire restoration efforts in Chile, Argentina and the U.S.

China | Preserving national treasures

Yangdong Pan, environmental science and management faculty, conducts research intended to safeguard China’s premier national reserve, the Jiuzhaigou Valley. The park attracts millions of visitors a year, and with them, pollutants like nitrogen and other fertilizers that threaten the park’s water ecosystems. Pan recently led a team of researchers developing cost-effective and easy-to-use tools that park managers can use to monitor potentially harmful nutrients that could damage the pristine waterways that punctuate the park’s natural beauty.

Japan | Injustice and the rising tides

Jola Ajibade, geography faculty, studies the interrelationships between resilience planning, climate change adaptation and urban sustainability. Her research examines how cities such as Tokyo, Japan; Manila, Philippines; and Lagos, Nigeria, apply plans to manage rising tides and sea levels as a coastal climate adaptation strategy. Her recent works demonstrate how these programs can intersect with class, identity and gender relations to perpetuate social and environmental injustice.

Nepal | Facing Deforestation

In Nepal and Ethiopia, the United Nations-backed REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) program aims to reduce deforestation while supporting local communities through poverty-reduction efforts. With the World Bank’s support, Randy Bluffstone and Sahan Dissanayake, economics faculty, provide valuable insights into the program’s community-managed forestry efforts by surveying community members and reporting their findings on community preferences to program administrators.

Australia | Wine, water and climate change

For her dissertation, Erin Upton PhD ’20 explored the intersection of decision-making around water resources and climate change adaptation in global wine regions, including Australia and South Africa. Upton’s approach included interviewing regional stakeholders. Her work helps illuminate how relationships between social, institutional and ecological systems contribute to resilience in the face of climate challenges.