Management of social-ecological systems experiencing rapid residential development for human land use and bird conservation

The southern Appalachian region has experienced dramatic rates of development during the last fifty years.  Development in Macon County, North Carolina, has largely consisted of the construction of vacation and retirement homes in traditionally undeveloped sites.  As new residents settle, diverse land use values are brought to communities, and intact forests are fragmented and simplified.  The purpose of this project is to: (1) determine the effects of land use on avian communities in Macon County and (2) structure and clarify land use decision making by Macon County landowners with suitable habitat for forest birds.  Over two field seasons, we sampled avian communities across a range of land uses in Macon County using point counts.  We used data from site revisits and multiple observers to estimate probabilities of false positive and false negative detections and to estimate multi-scale effects of land use on avian occupancy.  We conducted a structured decision making (SDM) study with owners of large forested properties in Macon County.  Through focus groups, we elicited objectives held by landowners with diverse values and socio-demographic backgrounds, identified management options, and evaluated management options relative to objectives and expected outcomes while incorporating uncertainty.  We detected 85 avian species at 274 sites. From our candidate set of occupancy models, we identified plausible models.  We quantified the effects of land use on species of conservation concern and differentiated guild responses to land use characteristics. We predicted occupancy probabilities across a range of land use features.  Accuracy was improved by accounting for two kinds of imperfect detection.  We increased understanding of the multiple land use objectives held by Macon County landowners and the relative value landowners place on expected outcomes of decisions.  SDM results can support future decision-making for the economic, social, and environmental health of this region as it continues to experience development.