Social-ecological vulnerability in human communities surrounding large protected areas in the southeastproject dates: 1 1 2025 through 12 31 2026AWARD purpose:the objectives of this research project…

This $189,938.24 Cooperative Agreement awarded by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) under the National and Regional Climate Adaptation Science Centers (CFDA 15.820) program aims to develop strategies for assessing and mitigating social-ecological vulnerability in communities surrounding large protected areas in the Southeast U.S. The project, led by North Carolina State University with sub-awards to the University of South Carolina and University of Tennessee Knoxville, has three main objectives: 1) identify priority indicators of social-ecological vulnerability with local stakeholders in the Southern Appalachian and Congaree Biosphere Regions, 2) detect current vulnerability hotspots and the factors driving them, and 3) determine which communities are most at risk from predicted climate and land use changes. The project will create a working group to produce research products like vulnerability assessment methods, mapping tools, and publications to support decision-making and capacity building among federal, state, and local partners in the region. Key outcomes may include broadening research-practice networks, enabling cross-regional knowledge sharing, and developing data-driven approaches to reduce social-ecological vulnerability in communities surrounding protected areas.

Activities

The recipient will create a working group that will: 1) identify a functional definition of social-ecological vulnerability and guidance on how IT can be quantified, mapped, and applied based on current literature and a consultation process with stakeholders, 2) conduct spatial analyses in the two focal areas to identify hotspots of social-ecological vulnerability today and communities for which predicted climate and land use changes are most likely to exacerbate social-ecological vulnerability in coming decades, and 3) identify shared and unshared indicators of social-ecological vulnerability at regional sites and evaluate universal indicators useful in management decisions near protected areas.deliverables and expected outcomes:this project will demonstrate how measures and maps of social-ecological vulnerability can be used to develop management strategies and approaches that local and regional stakeholders can use to reduce current and future social-ecological vulnerability. The most important outcomes may take the form of capacity building efforts in terms of: 1) broadening and deepening research-practice networks 2) sharing lessons across regions 3) enabling conversations between partners in different regions and researchers around climate change, adaptation, and vulnerability and 4) publications that focus on the mapping and use of indicators for social-ecological vulnerability. Additional outcomes will include providing methods and data for quantifying social-ecological vulnerability to partnering groups and map-based tools designed to allow stakeholders to have data-enabled conversations about these topics as part of their decision making. These tools will be CO-produced with partners and shared with those partners via working group activities as well as in other venues, such as regional meetings that bring those stakeholders together.intended beneficiary(IES):the working group created through this research will build on, consolidate, and expand existing research practice communities, including those within the national park service, the US biosphere network, and stakeholder connections within the focal biosphere regions. The southern appalachian biosphere cooperative (sabc) and congaree biosphere region advisory council (CBR) bring together diverse bodies of stakeholders, with a focus on decision-making to foster sustainability. Use of a working group-based approach will reinforce and broaden connections between stakeholders and researchers in the two regions, enable knowledge sharing, create on-ramps for other researchers and stakeholders to participate in the coproduction process, and facilitate applications to communities surrounding large protected or managed areas across the U.S. Southeast and beyond.

Subrecipient activities

The north carolina state university will subaward to the university of south carolina to execute the research objectives of this project. The university of south carolina has the following additional subaward partner(s) who will contribute to the accomplishment of project goals and objectives: university of tennessee knoxville.