Maine Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit and Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Conservation Biology 2020 Report to Cooperators

The Maine Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit and the University of Maine Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Conservation Biology are pleased to summarize the past year’s research accomplishments and activities in this annual report. Together, we have collaborated with scientists from State and Federal agencies, universities, and non-governmental organizations on 37 research projects presented in the pages that follow. These collaborative relationships enable us to pose a variety of research questions in interdisciplinary studies to address the resource management information needs of our research sponsors and to advance science in wildlife and fisheries ecology, management, and conservation. We value these opportunities to work together and look forward to continuing these relationships as well as developing new collaborations in the year ahead

Remote Sensing Applications in Monitoring of Protected Areas

Protected areas (PAs) have been established worldwide for achieving long-term goals in the conservation of nature with the associated ecosystem services and cultural values. Globally, 15% of the world’s terrestrial lands and inland waters, excluding Antarctica, are designated as PAs. About 4.12% of the global ocean and 10.2% of coastal and marine areas under national jurisdiction are set as marine protected areas (MPAs). Protected lands and waters serve as the fundamental building blocks of virtually all national and international conservation strategies, supported by governments and international institutions. Some of the PAs are the only places that contain undisturbed landscape, seascape and ecosystems on the planet Earth. With intensified impacts from climate and environmental change, PAs have become more important to serve as indicators of ecosystem status and functions. Earth’s remaining wilderness areas are becoming increasingly important buffers against changing conditions. The development of remote sensing platforms and sensors and the improvement in science and technology provide crucial support for the monitoring and management of PAs across the world. In this editorial paper, we reviewed research developments using state-of-the-art remote sensing technologies, discussed the challenges of remote sensing applications in the inventory, monitoring, management and governance of PAs and summarized the highlights of the articles published in this Special Issue

A Methodology for Natural Resources Analysis Appropriate for County Level Planning

In this thesis a methodology for developing an integrated cumulative analysis of sensitive natural resources was developed. Themes of natural resources-waterways, wetlands, forested lands, prime agricultural soils, and steep slopes-were brought together in a GIS system, in a grid format, in a manner so that each cell of the grid accumulated value according to the increasing presence of resource themes. For example, an area (30 meter x 30 meter grid cell) containing only one of the above themes is given a value of l, whereas an area containing slopes, streams, and forests might, after weighting factors, have a value of 5. The result is a map that demonstrates the cumulative value of sensitivity of a given area and its relative relation to the landscape under analysis. The methodology uses off-the-shelf GIS software and available GIS data sources, and is designed to require a minimum of technical and financial resources. This methodology is particularly useful for counties in Tennessee in meeting the requirements of Public Chapter 1101, the Growth Policy Act. The case study for this thesis reveals that much development does, in fact, occur in sensitive natural areas and that, therefore, this tool could be well utilized by planners to inform the public and to assist in the development of policy aimed toward the protection of sensitive areas from activities that would reduce their capacity to serve their natural functions

Maine Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit and Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Conservation Biology 2018 Report to Cooperators

The Maine Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit and the University of Maine Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Conservation Biology summarized the past year’s research, accomplishments, and activities in this annual report

Cooperative Forestry Research Unit Annual Report 2011

Cooperative forestry research unit annual repor

Cooperative Forestry Research Unit Annual Report 2011

Cooperative forestry research unit annual repor