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

The overall objective of this proposal is to develop a consistent methodology and to enhance the capacity of states, joint ventures and other partners to assess and design sustainable landscapes for birds and other wildlife in the eastern United States. Specifically, this project would develop and implement a framework and tools to 1) assess the current capability of habitats in ecoregions in the eastern United States to support sustainable bird populations; 2) predict the impacts of landscape-level changes (e.g., from urban growth, conservation programs, climate change) on the future capability of these habitats to support bird populations; 3) target conservation programs to effectively and efficiently achieve objectives in State Wildlife Action Plans and bird conservation plans and evaluate progress under these plans; and 4) enhance coordination among partners during the planning, implementation and evaluation of habitat conservation through conservation design.