Megan Kelso

Megan Kelso is a NatureNet Science Fellow at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Institute of the Environment and Sustainability. Her work bridges environmental science, health, and development sectors, focusing on conservation strategies that enhance both ecological resilience and community wellbeing.

• Education: PhD in Environment and Sustainability from the University of California, Davis

Megan specializes in blue carbon systems, particularly carbon storage dynamics in coastal vegetated ecosystems like mangroves, seagrass beds, and salt marshes. Her research examines how mangrove conversion to shrimp aquaculture impacts carbon sequestration and food security in Indonesia. Prior to her PhD, she spent four years leading community-based wetland restoration projects in San Francisco Bay and Point Reyes National Seashore, focusing on habitat recovery and ecological management.