Linking Land Conservation and Rural Stakeholders through Cultural Model Research

Led by Michael Paolisso, a team of investigators worked with the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay and the Big Thicket  region of eastern Texas. The team complied a large database of qualitative and quantitative data on cultural knowledge and values about land conservation. The stakeholders included farmers, environmentalists, land developers, local government officials, and land conservationists. The database represents a source of information for researchers, land conservationists, local environmental, community and development groups, and land developers who are interested in fostering collaborative programs in conservation across traditional stakeholder boundaries.

Project staff participated in a number of events to represent or present the project’s activities and findings. This included conferences, demonstrations, symposia, field days and workshops. Several websites were developed which contain specific information about the various events and activities. The websites will continue to host and be updated as additional reports, diseminations, publications, and other activities from the project are produced. The project also developed and disseminated a 2006 and 2007 Information Brief. 

Overall, the project succeeded in its goals to contribute a base of high-quality, comparative cultural knowledge and values on the development, implementation and evaluation of land conservation. The cultural models of land conservation include several themes, such as the moral imperative for long-term protection of public good, appropriate use of natural resources to meet human food and material needs, technologies and planning for housing, goods and services, equitable management of public good, and ecologically sound land management.