Learning by Doing Conservation Biology: Assessing the Ecological Impacts of a Living Shoreline
Authors: Conservation Biology Students - Spring 2021
Faculty Supervisor: C. Tate Holbrook, Ph.D.
Community Partner: St. Simons Land Trust and Georgia Department of Natural Resources Coastal Resources Division
Abstract:
Conservation biology is a mission-driven, integrative science that aims to document, protect, and restore biodiversity. Students in BIOL 4020 Conservation Biology apply their content knowledge and skills to help community partners develop, implement, and assess actual conservation projects in coastal Georgia. One of these projects involves monitoring a living shoreline at Cannon’s Point Preserve, in collaboration with the St. Simons Land Trust and Georgia Department of Natural Resources Coastal Resources Division. Here we describe living shorelines, present an overview of monitoring results from 2014-2020, and discuss the service-learning project’s significance for conservation, the community, and student success.
