Environmental Disturbance in the Greater Yucatan
The Environmental Disturbances in the Greater Yucatán (EDGY) project is a joint effort of Rutgers University, Clark University, The University of Virginia, and El Colegio de la Frontera Sur (ECOSUR). Our project seeks to understand the socio-ecological relationship between both human and of natural disturbances, with a focus on the 2007 landfall of Hurricane Dean, and forest cover in the Yucatán Peninsula. We employ a combination of methods including, but not limited to, remote sensing analysis, ecological field assessments, household- and community-level interviews and surveys.
Current research efforts include understanding how land use and biophysical properties combine to inform tropical forest resilience and regeneration following disturbances. This objective includes multi-scalar investigation of 1) regional mapping and monitoring of tropical secondary forest using remote sensing and spatial modeling 2) individual- and plot-level biomass recovery analysis 3) feedback between land use and forest ecosystem dynamics through participatory mapping and community focus groups.
Project Support
