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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Moving Up The Waste Hierarchy In Maine: Learning From “Best Practice” State-Level Policy For Waste Reduction And Recovery, Cindy Isenhour, Travis Blackmer, Travis Wagner, Linda Silka, John Peckenham
Moving Up The Waste Hierarchy In Maine: Learning From “Best Practice” State-Level Policy For Waste Reduction And Recovery, Cindy Isenhour, Travis Blackmer, Travis Wagner, Linda Silka, John Peckenham
Publications
As Maine residents look toward the future, it is increasingly clear that more sustainable waste and materials management solutions will be necessary. A recent stakeholder engagement process involving nearly 200 industry professionals, municipal representatives and citizen groups confirmed this point. As we move together toward a more sustainable waste management system, participants in the engagement process identified an outstanding need to learn more about policies options. This article responds to that need with a review of state level policies designed to reduce waste generation and increase material recovery rates. We find there are a wide variety of state-level policy tools …
Understanding And Informing Permitting Decisions For Tidal Energy Development Using An Adaptive Management Framework, Teresa R. Johnson, Jessica Spelke Jansujwicz
Understanding And Informing Permitting Decisions For Tidal Energy Development Using An Adaptive Management Framework, Teresa R. Johnson, Jessica Spelke Jansujwicz
Publications
Marine hydrokinetic (MHK) energy offers a promising new source of renewable ocean energy. However, the young industry is faced with significant challenges. Most notable is the challenge of regulatory uncertainty that is thought to hamper the successful deployment of new tidal energy technologies. Adaptive management may be one approach to deal with uncertainty and inform permitting decisions for hydrokinetic projects. In this study, we apply the concept of adaptive management to the Cobscook Bay Tidal Energy Project in Maine to better understand and inform permitting decisions. Using a social science approach of observation, interviews, and document analysis, we examine (1) …
Development Of A Stakeholder-Driven Spatial Modeling Framework For Strategic Landscape Planning Using Bayesian Networks Across Two Urban-Rural Gradients In Maine, Usa, Spencer Meyer, Michelle Johnson, Robert Lilieholm, Christopher Cronan
Development Of A Stakeholder-Driven Spatial Modeling Framework For Strategic Landscape Planning Using Bayesian Networks Across Two Urban-Rural Gradients In Maine, Usa, Spencer Meyer, Michelle Johnson, Robert Lilieholm, Christopher Cronan
Publications
Land use change results from frequent, independent actions by decision-makers working in isolation, often with a focus on a single land use. In order to develop integrated land use policies that encourage sustainable outcomes, scientists and practitioners must understand the specific drivers of land use change across mixed land use types and ownerships, and must consider the combined influences of biophysical, economic, and social factors that affect land use decisions. In this analysis of two large watersheds covering a total of 1.9 million hectares in Maine, USA, we co-developed with groups of stakeholders land use suitability models that integrated four …
Land Conservation In Northern New England: Historic Trends And Alternative Conservation Features, Spencer Meyer, Christopher Cronan, Robert J. Lilieholm, Michelle Johnson, David Foster
Land Conservation In Northern New England: Historic Trends And Alternative Conservation Features, Spencer Meyer, Christopher Cronan, Robert J. Lilieholm, Michelle Johnson, David Foster
Publications
Protected areas (PAs) are an important component of the global conservation strategy and understanding the past drivers of land protection can inform future conservation planning. Socioeconomic and policy drivers of protection vary through time and space, but a lack of spatio-temporal data limit the ability to conduct retrospective analyses of PAs. We developed a spatio-temporal database covering 90% of area in PAs in northern New England in the U.S. to quantify trends in the extent, rate of increase, ownership characteristics, and level of protection from 1800 to 2010. We found an accelerating rate of protection and an increase in the …
Agent-Based Modeling Of Harvest Decisions By Small Scale Forest Landowners In Maine, Usa, Jessica Leahy, Erika Reeves, Kathleen Bell, Crista L. Straub, Jeremy Wilson
Agent-Based Modeling Of Harvest Decisions By Small Scale Forest Landowners In Maine, Usa, Jessica Leahy, Erika Reeves, Kathleen Bell, Crista L. Straub, Jeremy Wilson
Publications
Small-scale forests are an excellent example of coupled social-ecological systems, which involve human and biophysical subsystems with complex two-way feedback interactions. The multifaceted nature of landowner decisions drives a significant need to better understand decision-making processes, reactions to policy, and combined impacts on ecosystems in a comprehensive manner. Small-scale forests require an integrated approach to modeling the social and biophysical components comprehensively. Agent-based modeling involves modeling individualistic behavior and interpreting patterns that emerge. The interaction between agents and their environments makes this a valuable tool to assess repeated decisions of individual landowners responding to changing environmental conditions. Agent-based models can …