Given the pace of land use change in South Carolina’s Piedmont region, data are needed to quantify the conservation value of remaining forest, open, and agricultural areas. Our research group is combining fieldwork, remote sensing, valuation surveys, and landscape modeling to identify conservation opportunities that can adopted by local and regional conservation, planning, and governmental agencies.  

 

Recent highlights of our work discussed more fully below include -

• identified conservation actions for cavity nesting birds, including the Brown-headed Nuthatch, a regional species of conservation concern

• measured the expected wiliness-to-pay for forest conservation in the Greenville Co

• measured the impact of increase road density and associated noise on animal communication and by extinction public health

• developed and tested future land use scenarios for the Upstate region of South Carolina

• identified the contribution of Upstate farmland to bird conservation

• interview Upstate farmers to identify their perceptions of biodiversity and ecosystem services

 

 

This work has been been supported by the Greenville Zoo, The Shi Center for Sustainability, The Duke Endowment, and Carolina Bird Club