Economics and human dimension of active managment of forest grassland ecotone in south-central USA under changing climate

TL;DR

This study examines how active management of forest-grassland ecotones in south-central USA impacts ecosystem restoration, economic benefits, and landowner attitudes amid climate-induced rainfall changes.

Contribution

It provides new insights into the economic and behavioral effects of active ecosystem management under changing climate conditions.

Findings

Active management improves ecosystem services.

Economic benefits vary with rainfall changes.

Landowner attitudes influence management success.

Abstract

The south central ecoregion was a mosiac ecoregion of forest and grassland continnum which is transiting towards closed canopy forests and losing ecosystem benefits. We studied role of active management, its economic benefit, and landonwers atttitdue and behavior towards restoring ecosystem services in this region. We further studed how the economic benefit varies in this region with the change in rainfall.