AGRICULTURAL ECOSYSTEM SERVICES: EXPLORING MODELS AND METHODS FOR SCENARIO DEVELOPMENT ALONG THE WASATCH FRONT, UTAH

The long-term goal of our research is to support effective land-use planning by creating methods capable of incorporating agricultural ecosystem services in local land use policy. This goal is supported by the following 5 objectives:1) Complete analysis of already gathered geospatial data and develop a land fragmentation baseline2) Create a forecasting land-use model3) Conduct a backcasting scenario exercise4) Perform ecosystem service valuation assessments for three key ecosystem service - carbon sequestration, food provisioning, and biodiversity conservation5) Apply our findings to a planning tool that allows community members, government officials, farmers and land-use planners can utilize to compare various development options.