Lerman on how homeowners associations can support native species
Although it's known that construction of homes in suburban areas can have negative impacts on native plants and animals, a recent study led by University of Massachusetts Amherst ecologist Susannah Lerman suggests that well- managed residential development such as provided by homeowners associations (HOA) can in fact support native wildlife.
For their recent study published in Ecology and Society, Lerman and her colleagues Kelly Turner and Christofer Bang of Arizona State University (ASU), Phoenix, set out to assess whether neighborhoods managed by HOAs contain more native wildlife and a richer variety of plants than neighborhoods with no formal land use rules. They found that such associations might play a key role in promoting species diversity in suburban neighborhoods.
