Potential Landscapes for Conservation of the Black-Tailed Prairie Dog Ecosystem

Abstract

Aim

To identify potential landscapes for the conservation of the black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus; BTPD) ecosystem, across their historical geographical range within the United States.

Location

Central Grasslands of the United States.

Methods

We used a structured decision analysis approach to identify landscapes with high conservation potential (HCP) for the BTPD ecosystem. Our analysis incorporated ecological, political and social factors, along with changing climate and land use to maximise long-term conservation potential.

Results

The landscapes we identified with HCP (top 30% rangewide) represented 22% of the historical distribution of BTPDs and remained strongholds under projected climate change. We provide a suite of HCP area scenarios to help inform different conservation and management interests, including those that consider projected climate change and jurisdictional (state-level) boundaries.

Main Conclusions

Our findings highlight the large conservation potential for BTPDs and associated species, and the maps we generated can be incorporated into other large-scale, multispecies conservation planning efforts being developed for the Central Grasslands of North America.