For decades, the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences at Texas A&M University has been engaged in providing sound science for decision makers who manage natural resources in the Big Thicket area of the Pineywoods ecoregion in eastern Texas. In March of 2006, an interdisciplinary research project was funded by the Ethics and Values in Science, Engineering and Technology Program of the National Science Foundation, supporting collaboration between researchers at Houston Advanced Research Center and the university. This research will illuminate the interactions between science and society by focusing on how science-based policy is put into practice by private organizations that manage conservation lands.
As urban populations grow conservation practitioners face issues of fragmentation of agricultural and forested lands, water management and sustainable development of rural communities. Land Trusts have responded to these challenges by devising an array of incentive based tools to sustain both ecological services and rural heritage for the benefit of future generations. Our goal is to better understand how Land Trusts integrate science and social values in their decisions about what lands to conserve and in their public education efforts.
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0551832. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
123 KB)
