J. Amy Belaire

St. Edward's University · Wild Basin

A growing body of research indicates that urban landscapes can support biodiversity and provide multiple ecosystem services. However, we still have limited knowledge about how specific design and management choices impact environmental benefits within highly modified landscapes. Furthermore, we know relatively little about the potential tradeoffs a...

Social network analysis (SNA) is based on a conceptual network representation of social interactions and is an invaluable tool for conservation professionals to increase collaboration, improve information flow, and increase efficiency. We present two approaches to constructing internet-based social networks, and use an existing traditional (survey-...

Context The conservation value of residential landscapes is becoming increasingly apparent in our urbanizing world. The ecological characteristics of residential areas are largely determined by the decisions of many individual “managers.” In these complex socio-ecological systems, it is important to understand the factors that motivate human decisi...

As our world becomes increasingly urbanized, cities are often where we come into contact with the natural world—not just in parks and urban nature preserves, but in more familiar places like residential yards. We conducted bird surveys and social surveys in Chicago-area residential landscapes near forest preserves (primarily in middle- and high inc...

As our world becomes increasingly urbanized, cities are often where we come into contact with the natural world—not just in parks and urban nature preserves, but in more familiar places like residential yards. We conducted bird surveys and social surveys in Chicago-area residential landscapes near forest preserves (primarily in middle- and high inc...

Residential yards comprise a substantial portion of urban landscapes, and the collective effects of the management of many individual yards may ''scale up'' to affect urban biodiversity. We conducted bird surveys and social surveys in Chicago-area (Illinois, USA) residential neighborhoods to identify the relative importance of yard design and manag...

Migratory stopover habitats are often not part of planning for conservation or new development projects. We identified potential stopover habitats within an avian migratory flyway and demonstrated how this information can guide the site‐selection process for new development. We used the random forests modeling approach to map the distribution of pr...

Background/Question/Methods Most urban ecological research has focused on sizable green spaces like parks or remnant habitats within the city, but the importance of the matrix is becoming increasingly apparent. With this study, we focused on the importance of patches of yards and gardens in residential areas for bird species. We surveyed over 900...

As the world continues to urbanize, ensuring that urban residents have access to green infrastructure and the ecosystem services it provides will be critical. Furthermore, the distribution of green infrastructure within cities should be equitable so that no socioeconomic group is underserved in terms of the benefits derived from ecosystem services....

Collaboration is often promoted as an effective strategy for conservation and natural resource management. Collaboration and communication can be particularly important—but challenging—in cities where there are many diverse stakeholders. However, there is little information about the factors that increase social interactions in urban stewardship ne...

Background/Question/Methods Green space within urban areas can provide important habitat for breeding and migratory birds. In addition to being the third-most populous city in the U.S., Chicago also offers a diversity of habitat types—including grasslands, oak savannas, and wetlands—that are now rare throughout the agriculture-dominated state of...

I examined the conservation opportunity for Golden-cheeked Warbler habitat represented by the initiation of the Fort Hood Recovery Credit System in the area immediately outside the boundaries of Fort Hood, Texas. Conservation planning requires a thorough and thoughtful examination of the landscape to achieve conservation goals as efficiently as pos...