Browsing by Author "Bonnie, Robert"

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Open Access
Communicating Climate Change in Eastern North Carolina: Rural Attitudes on Extreme Weather and Climate Resilience
(2020-04-24) Rowe, Elizabeth
Eastern North Carolina has historically experienced numerous hurricanes, however, Hurricane Matthew in 2016 and Hurricane Florence in 2018 heralded a new wave of climate-related extreme weather events. In partnership with the Environmental Defense Fund, this project aims to understand if and how the attitudes of residents of rural Eastern North Carolina have been influenced by extreme weather, changing weather patterns, and climate change following the double hits of Hurricanes Matthew and Florence. Through a series of semi-structured interviews throughout the Coastal Plain, this project found that while communities may be reticent to support climate mitigation policies, they were eager for solutions that would enable their communities to adapt to these climatic changes. This project provides insights into how to engage with these rural communities on the issue of climate change and extreme weather.
Open Access
Landowner and Agency Perceptions of Voluntary Conservation Programs in the Great Plains
(2019-04-18) Frediani, Virginia
Private landowners are a key partner to protect endangered species in the Great Plains but fear of the Endangered Species Act’s regulatory provisions and working with government make this a challenge. Landowners can enroll in voluntary conservation programs to implement conservation practices on their property to protect wildlife while receiving benefits to participate. These program benefits come in the form of financial incentives, technical assistance and regulatory assurances. This study surveyed landowners and agency employees to understand their perceptions towards these programs to protect species on private land. The surveys revealed landowners and agency employees perceive these programs positively as important aspects of species conservation efforts but find administrative issues a hindrance to landowner participation and agency implementation. These administrative issues are caused by a lack of funding and staff dedicated to the management of these programs and reinforce the distrust many landowners have towards government. To mitigate these issues, this study recommends consistent and increased funding towards agencies managing these programs; implementing a package approach to streamline administration; consistent training of agency staff at the local, state and federal level; and safeguards to protect landowner privacy. Voluntary conservation programs are an essential aspect to protect endangered species on private property but need substantially increased funding and staff resources to reach their full potential.
Open Access
Reforming the Land and Water Conservation Fund: An Outdoor Recreation Analysis
(2019-04-26) Horvath, Kelly
Outdoor recreation in the U.S. provides economic, social, and health benefits to participants. This study provides evidence for why the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) should be funded, now that it has been permanently reauthorized. Since its inception in 1965, LWCF has provided federal and state support for conservation and recreation initiatives, with a primary focus on land acquisition. In this report, I analyze data to demonstrate why LWCF should be funded not only for land acquisition, but also to promote outdoor recreation by evaluating the stateside assistance program administered by the National Park Service (NPS). The study uses two approaches: 1) apply the benefit transfer method and use multiple linear regression to estimate consumer benefits of outdoor recreation participation in a sample of state parks, and 2) identify how states have developed alternative funding sources to match LWCF grants. Adequate funding for recreation and conservation is imperative to ensure that current and future generations can reap the benefits of outdoor recreation.
Open Access
Rural Investment: Building a Natural Climate Solutions Policy Agenda that Works for Rural America and the Climate
(2020-06-03) Bonnie, Robert; Vujic, Tatjana; Plutshack, Victoria; Arata, Shannon
Rural America—particularly its farms, ranches, and forests—is vital to solving climate change. Forests absorb the equivalent of 11–15 percent of U.S. greenhouse gases (GHGs) while agriculture accounts for about 9 percent of U.S. GHG emissions. Under any reasonable scenario, meeting aggressive climate goals will require farmers, ranchers, forest owners and public land management agencies to prioritize climate mitigation across hundreds of millions of acres. Success will require new federal policies and, importantly, accelerated and substantial increases in public and private investment in land management practices that sequester carbon and reduce GHGs. That won’t happen without the combined support from rural voters and agricultural and forestry stakeholders. This report outlines a menu of policy ideas capable of both garnering the necessary support from rural America and helping the U.S. reach its climate goals through natural climate solutions. This report arrives at this menu of policies by focus on four questions: (1) Where are the tons? Which agricultural and forestry practices result in the most significant GHG emissions reductions and sequestration, and where are those practices likely to occur? (2) Where are the stakeholders? What are the positions of stakeholders in agriculture, forestry, hunting and fishing, outdoor recreation, and environment/conservation with regards to climate policy on agricultural and forest lands? (3) What can we learn from state experience with natural climate solutions? (4) What suite of federal policies could get the necessary GHG reductions and win rural support?