A mixed-methods analysis of social-ecological feedbacks between urbanization and forest persistence

Abstract

. 2014. A mixed-methods analysis of socialecological feedbacks between urbanization and forest persistence. Ecology and Society 19(3): 3. http://dx.doi.org/10.5751/ ES- Insight, part of a Special Feature on Exploring Feedbacks in Coupled Human and Natural Systems (CHANS)A mixed-methods analysis of social-ecological feedbacks between urbanization and forest persistence ABSTRACT. We examined how social-ecological factors in the land-change decision-making process influenced neighboring decisions and trajectories of alternative landscape ecologies. We decomposed individual landowner decisions to conserve or develop forests in the rapidly growing Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S. region, exposing and quantifying the effects of forest quality, and social and cultural dynamics. We tested the hypothesis that the intrinsic value of forest resources, e.g., cultural attachment to land, influence woodland owners' propensity to sell. Data were collected from a sample of urban, nonindustrial private forest (U-NIPF) owners using an individualized survey design that spatially matched land-owner responses to the ecological and timber values of their forest stands. Cluster analysis (n = 126) revealed four woodland owner typologies with widely ranging views on the ecosystem, cultural, and historical values of their forests. Classification tree analysis revealed woodland owners' willingness to sell was characterized by nonlinear, interactive factors, including sense of place values regarding the retention of native vegetation, the size of forest holdings, their connectedness to nature, 'pressure' from surrounding development, and behavioral patterns, such as how often landowners visit their land. Several ecological values and economic factors were not found to figure in the decision to retain forests. Our study design is unique in that we address metropolitan forest persistence across urban-rural and population gradients using a unique individualized survey design that richly contextualizes survey responses. Understanding the interplay between policies and landowner behavior can also help resource managers to better manage and promote forest persistence. Given the region's paucity of policy tools to manage the type and amount of development, the mosaic of land cover the region currently enjoys is far from stable.

Payments for Carbon Sequestration to Alleviate Development Pressure in a Rapidly Urbanizing Region

“…Knoot et al (2015) also found that program administration 142 (government or market) held no significant influence on participation across all requirement 143 levels. This is inconsistent with findings from stakeholder focus groups in the Charlotte 144 metropolitan region, which indicated strong anti-government sentiment that could affect forest 145 owners' receptivity to government administered programs in our study area (BenDor et al 2014). 146…”

Integrating Social Values and Ecosystem Services in Systematic Conservation Planning: A Case Study in Datuan Watershed

“…It is also unclear how these combinations affect the resilience and sustainability of the provisioned services [8]. Therefore, it is important to quantify ES, using both social values (SV) and biophysical services (BpS) to address the growing demand for ES in our societies and to evaluate the benefits of ES as a whole [9][10][11][12][13].…”

“…Nevertheless, quantitative SV information is notably excluded from most existing ES valuation efforts. Various studies from numerous fields have drawn attention to the need for SV inclusion in ES valuation [9][10][11][12][13][24][25][26][27][28][29][30].…”

Synthesis of human-nature feedbacks

“…At the same time, landowner decisions may also be influenced by their neighbors and perceptions of the surroundings. For example, BenDor et al (2014) discussed how the spread of urbanization in forestlands was often driven by development pressure via a positive feedback. In addition to creating new economic markets for development at fringe locations, increased presence of developed areas in their study area increased the propensity of forest owners to sell their land to allow for development because such changes harmed the owners' attitudes toward and value of the land.…”

“…Development around private forestlands encourages future development by opening up markets and influencing landowner attitudes (BenDor et al 2014). …”