US - UK and Jamaica Planning Visits: Initiating an international collaborative network on the impacts of private yard management for people and urban biodiversity

University Of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst MA

Investigators

Abstract

a non-technical explanation This CNIC establishes international collaborations and an international multi-city research network. It will lead to determine how yard management decisions influence urban bird populations, the rationale for these decisions and how they feedback to influence people through ecosystem service provision. This mentor led citizen science project runs in five US cities and has the dual objectives of scientific inquiry on avian demographics, and educating the public about bird biology and the scientific process. Funding is requested for two planning visits to Sheffield and one planning visit to Montego Bay, Jamaica for four US scientists. These will a) provide consultation with an international team (US, UK & Jamaica) of expert urban ecologists and social scientists, b) collect pilot data demonstrating proof of concept and the feasibility of exporting NN to the UK and Jamaica, and c) deliver an outline CNH proposal. This CNIC proposal is led by Dr. Susannah Lerman (PI, University of Massachusetts) and Dr. Peter Marra (co-PI, Smithsonian Institution). Dr. Karl Evans, the primary foreign collaborator (University of Sheffield, UK) will be instrumental in establishing the international network by co-organizing and actively participating in all activities, and contributing his expertise in avian urban ecology and multi-disciplinary research. Due to rapid global urbanization the nature of urban areas will make a significant contribution to determining the globe?s biodiversity, and its ability to deliver ecosystem services to an urbanized population - 80% of people are predicted to live in urban areas by 2050. The research program will establish how yard management influences urban biodiversity and peoples? health and well-being through the provision of ecosystem services. The CNIC thus contributes to major societal goals of preserving biodiversity and quality of life. Its legacy will include an outstanding network of international collaborators from world-leading institutions, including academics, NGOs (BirdsCarribean & British Trust for Ornithology) and government agencies (Forest Service & Smithsonian). By exporting the NN to the UK and Jamaica, the CNIC will further increase scientific literacy within a global context and enable the public to increase their sense of place and understanding of ecological processes. US and UK graduate student participation provides outstanding training opportunities and an exposure to interdisciplinary research within vastly different cultural and ecological contexts. To draw wider attention to the CNIC?s activities the collaborators will submit a symposium proposal for the 2016 Ecological Society of America conference. a technical description Urban ecology has largely progressed as isolated studies that use divergent methodologies, hindering comparisons between cities and regions. To address this, the CNIC proposal establishes a consistent research methodology across an international network of urban research sites. The CNIC, and follow on research, will be the first study to address specifically how private yard management decisions (plant choices, use of chemical inputs etc.) influence avian survival, reproductive success, and health and physiological responses. The network will also explore the motivations driving yard management decisions, participation in citizen science and stewardship. Adapting the NN model enables the acquisition of in-depth knowledge of how yards function as a social-ecological system. The network of cities spans a range of cultural, socio-economic and climatic contexts. It thus has considerable potential to address a key knowledge gap in urban ecology at a global scale, i.e. the links between yard management, biodiversity responses and consequences for ecosystem service provision. Achieving this is essential for generating effective yard management programs that enhance urban sustainability for wildlife and people. To achieve this, the CNIC will establish uniform methodology for measuring avian biological responses and assessing human attitudes to yard management and participation in scientific research. Consistent methodologies will enable direct comparisons across international boundaries and assess how the linkages generalize across diverse cultural and ecological conditions.