Identifying Threat Pathways Using Spatially Explicit Models: a Framework for Assessing Impacts from Residential Development
EPA Grant Number: F5C20453Title: Identifying Threat Pathways Using Spatially Explicit Models: a Framework for Assessing Impacts from Residential Development
Investigators: Wade, Alisa A.
Institution: Colorado State University
EPA Project Officer: Manty, Dale
Project Period: August 5, 2005 through August 6, 2005
Project Amount: $96,226
RFA: STAR Graduate Fellowships (2005)
Research Category: Academic Fellowships
Description:
Objective:Urbanization affects the functioning of natural systems; particularly at risk are protected areas that are becoming isolated by surrounding residential development. Our ability to manage these systems, and our ability to predict potential impacts from continued urbanization, is hampered by incomplete understanding of how landscape context and processes complicate the relationship between land use and ecosystem condition. This research statistically assesses spatially explicit models linking urbanization near protected areas and indicators of ecosystem condition, grounding the empirical analysis in ecological theory, to build a predictive model.
Supplemental Keywords:Ecosystem Protection/Environmental Exposure & Risk, Scientific Discipline, RFA, Monitoring/Modeling, Ecology and Ecosystems, Environmental Monitoring, urban environment, computational model, urban planning, ecosystem health, predictive model, land management, ecosystem management model, impact of residential development, environmental stress, anthropogenic stress, ecological models