Lerman awarded SEES Fellowship to study sustainable yards
This research will explore the motivations for and outcomes associated with the stewardship of sustainable yard practices and design, with "sustainable yards" being those that more closely mimic natural processes and vegetation composition and configuration. The research will be guided by a conceptual framework that focuses on the poorly understood linkages between the motivation for urban stewardship of sustainable yards, and the ecological outcomes from yard management. The project will investigate perspectives on the aesthetic and ecological functions of residential yards through targeted interviews and focus groups with scientists, practitioners and homeowners. A landscape intervention study will also be conducted to test how various lawn mowing regimes in private yards influence pollinator diversity.
