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Abstract
The vital role of forests in supporting human societies and the increasing concern over their loss drives a global search for better conservation methods through effective policies, sustainable land management, and community involvement. The Upper Flint Watershed in Georgia exemplifies various forest conservation challenges due to ongoing forest conversion and urban expansion. This research employs a multidisciplinary approach to identify forest lands with higher conservation values, understand the recent past and plausible future trajectories of forestlands of the Upper Flint Watershed, and assess conservation policies and programs in light of broadly shared social and ecological values and concerns. This research comprehensively reviews the application of the High Conservation Value Forest toolkit developed by the Forest Stewardship Council to promote sustainable forestry practices, addresses the drivers of forest conversion, projects future land-use changes under various development scenarios, and anticipates the impacts of such land-use changes on the trajectory of ecosystem services in the future. Reviewing the technical reports and publications on the application of the High Conservation Value Toolkit underscored its credibility worldwide, particularly in regions like the United States, Canada, and China, where data availability is less constrained. Projections for land-use change in the Upper Flint Watershed reveal significant forest loss in Deciduous/Mixed forests due to market pressures favoring conversion to urban areas or pine plantation monocultures. Modeling of water and climate regulating services anticipates a concerning decline in such ecosystem services, estimated to represent a minimum of $1.5 million USD annually. A survey of family forest owners in the Upper Flint Watershed reveals that concerns over property taxes and government regulations strongly influence family forest owners' land management decisions and conservation policy enrollment. Survey findings show a preference among family forest owners for short-term and less complex policy tools, such as tax deductions over conservation easements, alongside considerable interest in payment for ecosystem services policies, including carbon markets. This research helps to address gaps in forest conservation policy instruments and provides scientifically sound justifications for conservation prioritization in high conservation value regions.