New research introduces mapping tool for socially informed conservation in the East

WASHINGTON D.C. — A new study recently published in the scientific journal, “Environmental Research: Ecology” unveils a mapping tool designed to guide socially informed conservation in the Eastern United States. The tool identifies places in the East where conservation efforts can strengthen ecosystems while supporting at-risk communities in the region.  

“From the North Woods of Maine to the Okefenokee Swamp of Georgia, the East holds landscapes that shape daily life—supplying clean water, sheltering wildlife and offering families places to gather and explore,” said Peter McKinley, Ph.D., senior conservation biologist at The Wilderness Society. “By identifying where social and ecological needs overlap, this tool helps us focus conservation where it matters most, so future generations can inherit both healthy communities and thriving wild places.” 

The mapping tool combines ecological data—lands most important for conservation—with social data organized into three themes: frontline communities, historically marginalized populations and people who experience the impacts of climate change most acutely. By layering these data sets, researchers identified areas where high ecological data and high social data overlap—places where conservation can deliver the greatest benefits to both people and nature.  

Such areas include the Congaree National Forest, the Ocmulgee Swamp and the Pee Dee and Haw Rivers of North Carolina. Researchers also highlighted a critical ecological corridor—from the large contiguous forests of the Northeast to the biodiverse mountains of the Southeast—that serves as a wildlife pathway and natural refuge.   

Conversely, the mapping tool shines a light on places where both people and ecosystems face mounting threats—such as the mountain communities of Tennessee and North Carolina and the critically important forests that lie within. These highly biodiverse mountains provide critical sources of drinking water but are increasingly battered by storms and flooding.  

"This study is a message on the importance of connection. It offers encouragement and support to conservation practitioners to examine the linkages between people and planet,” said Lia Cheek, senior regional director of the East at The Wilderness Society. “When we focus on places where community needs and conservation goals meet, we can more directly identify and address root barriers to preserving treasured lands, safeguarding access for all and passing on nature’s benefits to future generations." 

The mapping tool aims to inform conversations that center historically marginalized and frontline communities while protecting vital ecosystems in the East.  It underscores that conservation succeeds when it defends community freedom to access the outdoors, conserves the resources families depend on and invests in a legacy for future generations.  

Visit “Environmental Research: Ecology” for a more in-depth look at the research.