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The Roanoke River Basin encompasses nearly 6.3 million acres, with 400 miles of rivers that stretch from the Blue Ridge Mountains to the Albemarle Sound on the coast of North Carolina.
Ecological-Economic Context
This National Fish and Wildlife Foundation-funded project examined the spatial distribution and value of ecosystem services in the Roanoke River Basin. We focused on the Dan River and Lower Roanoke River sub-basins. Through participatory research and data analysis, Key-Log Economics established which ecosystem services are most important to stakeholders in the Roanoke River Basin, and what actions can be taken to protect those services.
Two workshops in Danville, VA, and Weldon, NC in April 2018 provided the bulk of participatory research to determine what environmental issues are most concerning to Roanoke River Basin communities, including uranium mining, coal ash disposal and storage, pollution from industry and agriculture, narrow riparian buffers, and development. Highly-valued ecosystem services in the region include recreational fishing, other recreation (paddling, hiking, boating), drinking water, and habitat for species.
We used means-end diagramming, a concept mapping technique used by government agencies, to connect changes in resource management to ecosystem and economic outcomes. This process allows stakeholders to prioritize ecosystem services and benefits. It provides a road map for our analysis of potential changes in the delivery of these ecosystem services and their respective societal benefits. At left is a sample means-end diagram on coal ash spills.
Resources
Survey Results on key ecosystem services, benefits, and issues in the Roanoke River Basin
Dan River Basin Workshop slide deck (April 17, 2018)
Lower Roanoke River Basin Workshop slide deck (April 19, 2018)
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