Laura Geselbracht

Laura Geselbracht is advancing coastal resilience in Florida, the Gulf of Mexico and along the U.S. South Atlantic Coast by employing a number of strategies including: improving knowledge about sea level rise impacts on coastal ecosystems and adjacent developed areas through modeling; identifying land protection priorities for coastal resilience; designing, implementing and monitoring coastal ecosystem restoration projects to improve community resilience; identifying areas of resilient coastal ecosystems using factors such as size, connectivity, representation and ecological risk; and educating local government and community leaders about climate change risks and opportunities for adaptation.

In 2015, Ms. Geselbracht was awarded the Sam D. Hamilton Award for Transformational Conservation Science, an award that recognizes recipients for achieving extraordinary results in fish and wildlife conservation, for her contributions to the Gulf Coast Vulnerability Assessment. She led the assessment of mangrove forest risk to climate change effects. Ms. Geselbracht also supports TNC Florida’s coastal habitat restoration efforts through design, implementation and review of restoration monitoring plans. In collaboration with TNC's South Atlantic Bight Marine Assessment Team, she led the marine mammal and sea turtle component of the analysis.