RACHELLE GOULD

My work addresses forest restoration, both its ecological and its social aspects. My ecological work is focused on an experiment which explores economically and biophysically feasible options to restore native forest to former ranchland in Hawai`i. It focuses on one critical obstacle to restoration - high light - and on one potentially important opportunity in restoration - making use of a native fern that does well on its own. The social aspect of my work focuses on Cultural Ecosystem Services (CES), a
lens that can be used to understand the intangible human values associated with ecosystems. I am conducting an analysis of the Cultural Ecosystem Services associated with forests in montane Hawai`i. The goal of this two-pronged approach (ecological and social) is to create a framework that portrays several dimensions of value associated with particular restoration choices; specifically, I hope that the framework will facilitate more
comprehensive inclusion of socio-cultural values into restoration decision-making.