Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program: Alabama
Education, Research and Technical Assistance for Managing Our Natural Resources

Alabama ranks fifth among U.S. states in biodiversity of plants and animals, yet only 4% of the state is sheltered from development. Support of Alabama's extraordinary biodiversity thus depends on fastidious management of these limited protected areas. We are evaluating the effects of historical land management on wildlife communities within state-owned Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs). These data are critical for understanding how historical management has affected target species, assessing the accuracy of predicted management outcomes, and improving management plans within an adaptive framework. This work is being conducted in collaboration with the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Results will be used by the agency to improve habitat management for game and non-game species on their WMAs and to tease out the relative importance of local management vs. landscape changes on shaping wildlife communities.