Exploring the Importance of Values, Place, and Perceptions in Conservation Decision-making in Maine: a Mixed Methods Approach

Conservation inherently involves intertwined ecological systems and human societies. In Maine, USA conservation decision-making brings together many viewpoints, values, motivations, and experiences to balance diverse goals. Socio-cultural, experiential, financial, and ecological factors can all influence an individual’s ability to make or support a decision. This dissertation aimed to broadly explore how people perceive their role in conservation decision-making in Maine. In doing so, we articulate a diverse set of perspectives, experiences, and values. We used a mixed methods approach which enabled an in-depth understanding of the complexity of conservation decision-making while providing the opportunity for different voices to be heard. Specifically, we focused on the experiences and perspectives of conservation practitioners, students and partners engaged in collaborative natural resource management, and those who are affected by and/or affect conservation decisions. We first conducted a qualitative interview study of practitioner experiences and values, which informed a quantitative survey study of public values and preferences, as well as a case study of a university-community conservation partnership. In Chapter 2, we describe the diverse values, goals, and motivations for conservation based on interviews with conservation practitioners. In Chapter 3, we further explore a particular subset of values from Chapter 2 related to practitioner perspectives around involving people in conservation based on the interviews. Chapter 4 introduces a case study to understand the role of place-based education within a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) college-level course. In doing so, we describe a specific application of engagement in a local context while also exploring student perceptions of engaging with conservation practitioners. In Chapter 5, we surveyed diverse individuals to understand their perceptions of moose and moose management in Maine. The survey results highlight hunter, recreationist, and landowner perspectives around environmental change. Together, this dissertation describes a diverse set of values, motivations, and experiences, which illuminate the following in the context of Maine: (1) whom or what is conserved, (2) how it is conserved, (3) who benefits from its conservation, and (4) how is power shared within decision-making or collaboration. Additionally, we share implications for conservation participation and engagement, communication, and education

Fostering Climate Change Resilience: A Socio-ecological Forest Systems Approach

As climate change continues to impact socio-ecological systems, those that rely on natural resources are highly sensitive to climatic changes. Maine’s forest industry provides for the economic and social well-being of many residents and is especially vulnerable to climate change impacts. Changes in growing season length and timing, forest health threats imposed by insects and pathogens, extreme weather events, shifting forest composition, and changes in natural disturbance severity and frequency have already begun, and are projected to continue, to impact forest systems in the Northeastern U.S. While climate change presents a threat to forest systems, opportunities also arise due to longer growing seasons and warmer temperatures. Socioeconomic pressures and biophysical impacts necessitate the implementation of adaptation strategies among forest managers to maintain and enhance healthy and resilient forest systems in Maine, as well as overcome threats and take advantage of opportunities. Identifying impacts, assessing vulnerabilities, and determining appropriate adaptation strategies are critical first steps in implementing effective adaptive management across the state. The goal of this study was to develop and implement an integrated framework to assess the vulnerability and enhance the resilience, via increased climate change adaptation, of Maine’s forest socio-ecological systems to climate change. The thesis uses a sequential mixed-methods approach to combine qualitative and quantitative data, to (1) understand stakeholder perceptions of climate change impacts and adaptation, and (2) to map biophysical and social vulnerability of Maine’s forest industry to climate change. Forest stakeholders in Maine generally have high perceptions of risk regarding climate change impacts, and identified and prioritized the following climate change impacts as having the greatest and most likely impact on the forest industry: forest health threats imposed by insects and pathogens, extreme precipitation events, shifts in forest composition, invasive species, and changes in forest productivity. The results of the vulnerability assessment also highlight the unique combinations of exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity to climate change among Maine counties. Management strategies that address prioritized and experienced impacts are widely accepted among stakeholders; however, stakeholders are less willing to formally incorporate climate change into the forest management planning process given barriers and limited access to incentives. Integration of research results indicate the persistence of uncertainty and complexity involved in climate change adaptation and present a challenge to increasing implementation of adaptation strategies among forest stakeholders. However, promoting opportunities for learning and enhancing management flexibility via communications that appeal to stakeholders’ perceptions, social norms, experiences, and values can increase the ability of Maine’s forest socio-ecological system to respond to change. The framework presented in this thesis can have widespread application elsewhere, given its theoretical and methodological groundings and its novel multi-method approach to study forest industry vulnerability and the potential for adaptation

Forest Policies and Adaptation to Climate Change in Maine: Stakeholder Perceptions and Recommendations

Socioeconomic pressures require forest management to address the impacts of climate change. However, we must ask, Are current forest policies sufficient to deal with the impacts of climate change? Here, we report on two surveys of forest stakeholders in Maine including woodlot owners and forestry professionals and discuss their perceptions of the barriers to climate change adaptation. We conclude with several policy directions including reevaluating existing policies, expanding incentivebased policies, integrating adaptation efforts into mitigation efforts, and increasing communication and outreach

Maine Won\u27t Wait One-Year Progress Report, 2021

This document, an “Maine Climate Science Update 2021”, is an interim communication to the Maine Climate Council and the public about the ongoing work of the scientific community and recent events associated with climate change. It is divided into three sections: (1) current events that reflect the acceleration of extreme weather events in Maine and elsewhere with possible connections to climate change; (2) noteworthy scientific reports with national and international scope released in 2021; and (3) examples of recent peer-reviewed publications from the ongoing work of the scientific community to understand climate change in Maine

[11C]Martinostat PET analysis reveals reduced HDAC I availability in Alzheimer’s disease

The link between amyloid and tau proteins with Alzheimer’s disease progression remains unclear. Here, the authors propose HDACs I downregulation as an element linking the deleterious effects of brain proteinopathies with disease progression