Land Conservation in the Gulf of Mexico Region: A Comprehensive Review of Plans, Priorities, and Efforts
by
Sathishkumar Samiappan 1,*
, Andrew Shamaskin 2, Jiangdong Liu 2, Jennifer Roberts 2, Anna Linhoss 1,3 and Kristine Evans 2
Sathishkumar Samiappan 1,*, Andrew Shamaskin 2, Jiangdong Liu 2, Jennifer Roberts 2, Anna Linhoss 1,3 and Kristine Evans 2
1
Geosystems Research Institute, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS 39762, USA
2
Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Aquaculture, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS 39762, USA
3
Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS 39762, USA
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Land 2019, 8(5), 84; https://doi.org/10.3390/land8050084
Received: 29 April 2019 / Revised: 10 May 2019 / Accepted: 21 May 2019 / Published: 23 May 2019
An unprecedented land conservation effort is presently underway in the Gulf of Mexico Coastal Region (GCR) due to an influx of funds from settlements related to the 2012 RESTORE Act. A complete understanding of the priorities of the states in the GCR is critical to ensure that land conservation planning efforts are implemented effectively and efficiently. The paper reviews past, current, and future land conservation priorities in the GCR to inform strategic planning efforts. This review catalogs an extensive list of projects and plans proposed and implemented at federal, state, county, and city levels with direct ties to land conservation during the past 20 years. Comprehensive restoration goals proposed by the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration (Restore) Council were used as a framework for grouping priorities within conservation plans and projects. Plans were first compiled via internet searches and expert sources, then a series of eight stakeholder charrettes were held across the GCR states to validate the catalog and add missing projects and plans. A geospatial web tool was developed using the Restore Council goal framework to allow for the identification and exploration of plans in the GCR.
View Full-Text
▼
Show Figures
Figure 1
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited
MDPI and ACS Style
Samiappan, S.; Shamaskin, A.; Liu, J.; Roberts, J.; Linhoss, A.; Evans, K. Land Conservation in the Gulf of Mexico Region: A Comprehensive Review of Plans, Priorities, and Efforts. Land 2019, 8, 84.
Show more citation formats
Note that from the first issue of 2016, MDPI journals use article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.
