In recent years, researchers have begun to adopt a perspective evaluating “winners and losers” regarding the consumption and value of ecosystem services. “Winners” tend to benefit from the ecosystem service and “losers” absorb most associated costs. Our study focuses on water use in Oklahoma (USA) and a plan to divert water from the Kiamichi River in southeastern Oklahoma for consumption at residences in the Oklahoma City metropolitan area. Our study is, in part, a follow-up from an initial 2013 survey of Oklahoma City residents and residents of the Kiamichi. For this paper, a survey was distributed within the state of Oklahoma to evaluate changes to ecosystem service willingness to pay and valuation. This survey also included an experimental element assessing if exposure to additional information about ecosystem services influenced respondents on ecosystem service valuation, or willingness to pay. Our results generally aligned with those found in the 2013 survey. Oklahoma City residents are not aware of where their water is coming from and are not willing to pay to protect ecosystem services, despite an overall increase in activism. Our results indicate that a smaller number of significant factors determining willingness to pay for ecosystem service maintenance were identified than the study in 2013. Exposure to additional information had no effect on peoples’ preferences. We found that public opinion surrounding environmental support is context-specific, political conservatism may not always impede valuation of environmental protections. We conclude that cultural, moral, and political values interact in their influence on expressions of valuation and willingness to pay for ecosystem services.
Eastern Equine Encephalitis virus (EEEV) is a virus found predominantly east of the Mississippi River in the United States that can be fatal to both equines and humans. The disease has previously been most prolific in states like Florida, but there has been an increase in the prevalence in other states further up north on the east coast of the United States in recent years. The purpose of this research is to use the ecological niche modelling program Maxent to model EEEV habitat suitability probability. This research utilized data of fatality incidence in equine hosts, versus sentinel chicken infection data, the spatial data traditionally utilized for mapping EEEV. This research produced a map of habitat suitability, which expanded on previous risk models by utilizing additional environmental factors. It confirmed areas of higher probability identified by previous models but identified more narrow areas of higher probability as well. This model adds to the literature applying ecological modelling techniques to spatial epidemiology. It highlights spaces that represent the culmination of environmental factors for the transmission of EEEV. Considering these environmental factors identified can assist in identifying places where there is a higher risk of EEEV as new cases begin to appear.
Analysis of animal movement as a complex spatiotemporal signal attenuated by behavioural and contextual factors comprises a recent perspective in the time‐geographic study of movement. For their significant ecological and human impacts, animal–roadway interactions have become a particularly important subject matter in this arena. Analyses relying on spatiotemporal aggregation or reductive modelling of the information held in movement trajectories may overlook the influences of behaviour and environmental context. Towards expanding perspectives on animal movement and roadway interactions, this research acknowledges and characterizes the varying influence of temporally dynamic elements in the environmental context at fine spatiotemporal scales. In particular, these elements are hourly traffic volumes and their effect on the probability of animal–roadway interactions. A set of methods from time geography and signal analysis, including the probabilistic space‐time prism, comprehensive probability surface, and cross‐correlation were combined to provide for serial comparison of hourly roadway interaction probabilities and traffic volumes for red deer (Cervus elaphus) tracked in Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada. Results suggest a cyclical, diurnal repulsion in roadway interaction probabilities from periods of higher traffic volume at the hourly scale in the study area, consistent with prior theoretical and empirical findings on ungulates living in similar environmental settings.
Development in wind energy technology and deployment of infrastructure reduces reliance on fossil fuels and can further energy security goals. Wind energy, however, can conflict with other green interests. The goal of this research was to examine the perceptions of environmentally conscious individuals at the intersection of wind energy development and biodiversity conservation interests. A majority of respondents identified that they cared very much about both renewable energy development as well as biodiversity conservation. We found that while participants were aware of the shifting causes of mortality of bird populations, they were less aware of the implications of wind energy on bat populations. In addition, attitudes towards biodiversity conservation as well as wind energy development were statistically significant when looking at the identification of some impacts. Most participants were willing to support wind energy development considering trade-offs related to factors such as visual impacts or economic benefits if it had no impacts on biodiversity conservation. Our research shows that environmentally conscious individuals are well-informed on only some impacts of wind energy development. Results also suggest that biodiversity conservation impacts are prioritized by environmentally conscious individuals when gauging support for wind energy development. As sustainable development continues, it is important to consider this green on green conflict, as renewable energy development is not only confronted by general issues of public opposition, but also specific environmental complaints.
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