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The Department of Anthropology at the University of Maryland has been engaged in research on the cultural dynamics of natural resource use in the Chesapeake Bay region for many years. In August of 2005, the Department teamed up with the Houston Advanced Research Center, the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences at Texas A&M University, and the Maryland Center for Agro-Ecology, Inc. to identify stakeholders' cultural knowledge about land conservation in the Land Conservation and Rural Stakeholders Research Project.
The vast majority of lands in the United States are open or working lands, such as farmland, forests, pasture and range lands. Over the last 30 years, urban sprawl, population increases, and economic development have resulted in land fragmentation and significant social changes in rural communities. Nationally, between 1997 and 2001, the average rate of crop, forest, and range land lost to development was 2.2 million acres per year. In many regions, ranches and farms are being replaced by residential areas. In others, large parcels of land are subdivided into smaller landholdings or "hobby farms." The lands lost are often highly productive, yet they are almost never returned to agricultural use. To support these smaller landholdings, infrastructure such as roads, water & sewage systems, etc. must be built or expanded. The loss of open and working lands leads to habitat degradation and a decline in natural and agricultural biodiversity.
Land fragmentation is not just a problem for ecosystems. It is also about rural communities and local heritage, with social as well as ecological consequences. Rural quality of life and land conservation are closely connected. Land conservationists know that they need to understand the views of rural communities to achieve their goals. Some land conservation programs are trying to account for this connection and are designed to save both land and farmers or ranchers by offering tax relief or monetary compensation to landowners in order to conserve open space.
Documents
Report-in-Brief Issue 2 - June 2006 ( 230 KB)
Report-in-Brief Issue 1 - April 2006 ( 184 KB)
For additional information about this project please contact Pris Weeks.
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| Page Updated/Reviewed: 04/11/2007 1:16 PM |
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