Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, South Florida Caribbean CESU | G20AS00035

Opportunity Information: Apply for G20AS00035

The Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU), South Florida Caribbean CESU grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number G20AS00035) is a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) funding announcement under the Department of the Interior that supports a focused research effort tied to ecosystem restoration outcomes in South Florida and the Caribbean region. The work is being offered through a cooperative agreement, meaning the award is intended to involve substantial federal participation or collaboration rather than functioning like a simple pass-through grant. The USGS Wetland and Aquatic Research Center in Davie, Florida is the sponsoring unit, and the project sits within the broad category of Science and Technology and other Research and Development (CFDA 15.808).

The core purpose of the opportunity is to fund a CESU partner to help implement and refine monitoring methods that are needed to evaluate ecosystem restoration as it relates specifically to threatened crocodile populations. In practical terms, the project is aimed at improving the ability of managers and scientists to measure whether restoration actions are actually benefiting crocodiles and their habitats, and to detect changes over time. The description emphasizes that protecting biological diversity is a priority at multiple levels of government and society, and that maintaining ecological integrity requires credible, repeatable monitoring and evaluation. This makes the project less about one-time data collection and more about building or applying monitoring tools and approaches that can inform ongoing restoration and management decisions.

From an agency-needs standpoint, the announcement frames the work as directly supporting Department of the Interior science needs by providing the tools necessary for evaluation and assessment of ecosystem restoration. The intended outcome is better capacity to track restoration effects, interpret trends, and connect management actions to measurable biological responses in crocodile populations. While the notice does not list specific methods, the focus on "implementation of monitoring methods" suggests the funded partner would likely be expected to put established or emerging monitoring techniques into practice in restoration contexts, potentially standardizing protocols, improving comparability across sites or years, and helping translate field monitoring into usable performance measures for restoration programs.

The opportunity is discretionary and limited to eligible applicants described as "Others," with eligibility specifically tied to CESU partnership status (the announcement indicates clarification is in the additional eligibility text). Only one award was expected, with a maximum award amount (ceiling) of $50,000. The opportunity was created on February 18, 2020, and had an original closing date of March 6, 2020, indicating a short application window and a relatively targeted, project-specific competition designed to engage a qualified CESU partner to meet a defined monitoring and restoration evaluation need.

• 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, South Florida Caribbean CESU" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.808.
• This funding opportunity was created on Feb 18, 2020.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Mar 06, 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 $50,000.00 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 G20AS00035

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