INRC Fall 2021 Water Quality Research Seminar Series: New Technologies, New Tools and Emerging Concerns
Sept. 8, 2021
Presenter: Emily Zimmerman is an assistant professor in the Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management at Iowa State University.
Focus: Agricultural landscapes in the US are often highly productive, but frequently produce negative environmental externalities that lead to reduced environmental benefits at local and regional scales. The Agricultural Conservation Planning Framework (ACPF) is a science-based, data-driven decision support tool that can assist conservation planners and stakeholders with identifying opportunities to strategically place conservation practices within fields, below fields, and in riparian areas to reduce nutrient and sediment loss in agricultural landscapes. One of the strengths of the ACPF is its ability to synthesize complex geospatial data, processing, and analyses into accessible and easy-to-interpret outputs that provide conservation planners, landowners, and farmers with suites of conservation options – and function as a tool to begin a conversation about conservation opportunities. Active areas of research and model development include geographic expansion, estimations of nutrient reduction outcomes, financial costs (direct and opportunity), valuation of environmental benefits, and integration with federal conservation programs.
Zimmerman's research interests focus on understanding the relationship between land use and ecosystem services in working landscapes. Recently, Emily’s work has focused primarily on evaluating placement, costs, and environmental outcomes associated with implementing spatially targeted best management practices in agricultural landscapes. To do this, Emily uses geospatial data and models, like the Agricultural Conservation Planning Framework (ACPF), which integrate biophysical and socioeconomic characteristics of landscapes.
Watch the Youtube recording of this event.