Dr. Troy Bowman
Position
- Alumni
- Assistant Professor, University of Alabama A & M
Every day, individuals and groups make choices and take actions that influence the natural world. These decisions can reveal values and preferences for various amenities, land uses or environmental services. Because the processes of environmental policy are intertwined within the politics of an economic and social network of stakeholders, understanding these values is imperative to creating workable and efficient public policies that balance stakeholder preferences with the value of ecosystem services. This is particularly true along the various interfaces of natural areas where urban development or agricultural production can both clash with and rely on the ecological functions provided by natural resources.
With this in mind, my research and teaching are focused on achieving these general goals:
1. Assessing the current and (predicted) future states of natural resources and the threats that imperil and/or hinder their function and availability
2. Creating a spatial awareness of land cover and uses changes to land use (both past and future), and the global and localized values (biophysical, economic, and social) derived from uses
3. Better understanding the values, preferences, attitudes and motivations of stakeholders and other groups that influence or take advantage of natural resources
4. Finding the most efficient ways to preserve ecosystem functions and services while allowing for a balance of human uses across the landscape
5. Increasing the capacity of students, as well as public and private stakeholders in decision-making through systems-thinking approaches that consider externalities, ecosystem services, spatial relationships, and uncertainty. This is particularly important in light of some outside or global influences, such as climate change, that may have unmitigable impacts.
To this end, I use a variety of methods and tools across a number of disciplines including quantitative surveys involving individual and public data, revealed and stated economic preference models, choice experiments, and qualitative methods such as focus groups. I have expertise in GPS and GIS technology and experience with both land cover modeling and spatial econometrics. Furthermore, in addition to social science methodologies, I also have interests and skills in forest mensuration, urban forestry, and hydrologic sampling.
Current Research Projects:
Developing economic decision support tools for implementing key Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy practices
With this in mind, my research and teaching are focused on achieving these general goals:
1. Assessing the current and (predicted) future states of natural resources and the threats that imperil and/or hinder their function and availability
2. Creating a spatial awareness of land cover and uses changes to land use (both past and future), and the global and localized values (biophysical, economic, and social) derived from uses
3. Better understanding the values, preferences, attitudes and motivations of stakeholders and other groups that influence or take advantage of natural resources
4. Finding the most efficient ways to preserve ecosystem functions and services while allowing for a balance of human uses across the landscape
5. Increasing the capacity of students, as well as public and private stakeholders in decision-making through systems-thinking approaches that consider externalities, ecosystem services, spatial relationships, and uncertainty. This is particularly important in light of some outside or global influences, such as climate change, that may have unmitigable impacts.
To this end, I use a variety of methods and tools across a number of disciplines including quantitative surveys involving individual and public data, revealed and stated economic preference models, choice experiments, and qualitative methods such as focus groups. I have expertise in GPS and GIS technology and experience with both land cover modeling and spatial econometrics. Furthermore, in addition to social science methodologies, I also have interests and skills in forest mensuration, urban forestry, and hydrologic sampling.
Current Research Projects:
Developing economic decision support tools for implementing key Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy practices
Affiliations
- Assistant Professor, University of Alabama A & M