Understanding and Closing the Gaps: A GAP Audit Approach Linking Archaeology and Land Acquisition Strategies in Florida The population in Florida is projected to double over the next 50 years. Large land areas now in rural settings will become residential and urban areas. More than seven million acres of agriculture and open space will convert to housing developments, shopping malls, and business space. At stake are natural and cultural resources, which are lost or fragmented in this growth process. New planning measures are called for in order to grow in ways that minimize and least impact those resources. Archaeological value in preservation projects is often examined after priorities for natural resources have been set, relegating archaeology to a role of added-on value in acquisition targeting. Decisions are made daily by planners, cultural resource managers, and agencies, about what resources get saved and what get destroyed. These decisions are based on subjective evaluations such as archaeological significance, without a clear understanding for what resources exist and what resources have already been protected. In this dissertation, I use a GAP audit approach, more commonly used in natural resource planning and management, to look at what the record of protection is for archaeology and to plan for its preservation. I examine the region of the Big Hammock in North-central Florida, where agricultural lands are shown to be critically linked to archaeology. Yet, these rural areas are being converted to residential use at rates so shift, that thousand acre ranches are becoming platted housing developments before planners can determine resource valuations. The goals of a GAP analysis for Florida archaeology are to identify areas of research questions and to look at archaeological representation on public lands to see the kinds and types of archaeological resources that are not adequately represented by public land holdings or land acquisition priority targets. A GAP analysis for archaeology can examine where important resources are located or are likely to be located, which may differ from natural resource priorities. This methodological framework enables archaeologists to better communicate and work with natural resource specialists in planning for the future of preservation, both archaeological and natural, in Florida. English
Understanding and Closing the Gaps: A GAP Audit Approach Linking Archaeology and Land Acquisition Strategies in Florida
The population in Florida is projected to double over the next 50 years. Large land areas now in rural settings will become residential and urban areas. More than seven million acres of agriculture and open space will convert to housing developments, shopping malls, and business space. At stake are natural and cultural resources, which are lost or fragmented in this growth process. New planning measures are called for in order to grow in ways that minimize and least impact those resources. Archaeological value in preservation projects is often examined after priorities for natural resources have been set, relegating archaeology to a role of added-on value in acquisition targeting. Decisions are made daily by planners, cultural resource managers, and agencies, about what resources get saved and what get destroyed. These decisions are based on subjective evaluations such as archaeological significance, without a clear understanding for what resources exist and what resources have already been protected. In this dissertation, I use a GAP audit approach, more commonly used in natural resource planning and management, to look at what the record of protection is for archaeology and to plan for its preservation. I examine the region of the Big Hammock in North-central Florida, where agricultural lands are shown to be critically linked to archaeology. Yet, these rural areas are being converted to residential use at rates so shift, that thousand acre ranches are becoming platted housing developments before planners can determine resource valuations. The goals of a GAP analysis for Florida archaeology are to identify areas of research questions and to look at archaeological representation on public lands to see the kinds and types of archaeological resources that are not adequately represented by public land holdings or land acquisition priority targets. A GAP analysis for archaeology can examine where important resources are located or are likely to be located, which may differ from natural resource priorities. This methodological framework enables archaeologists to better communicate and work with natural resource specialists in planning for the future of preservation, both archaeological and natural, in Florida.
English