Rangeland Ecology & Management最新文献

{"title":"There Is No Hope Without Change: A Perspective on How We Conserve the Sagebrush Biome","authors":"Matthew Cahill","doi":"10.1016/j.rama.2024.08.004","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.rama.2024.08.004","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This is not a typical journal article in tone or style. As part of a special issue focused on the Sagebrush Conservation Design and Strategic Conservation, this paper highlights how we need to change our management of the sagebrush biome with a perspective of why that change matters. Sagebrush ecosystems are in steep decline, losing more than 1 million acres annually for decades from biome-altering threats of invasive annual grasses, conifer expansion, catastrophic wildfire, and climate change. As illustrated by the other papers in this special issue, management of the sagebrush biome needs to drastically change, focusing prevention and restoration on intact landscapes while accepting we cannot bring back the biome where it is already lost. Imbedded in this choice to change how we manage the biome is why that change matters. In this paper I include a series of personal anecdotes, observations, and connections that I hope helps you, the reader, understand the content of this special issue not only as an integrated body of science, but also an embrace of how we relate to the future of the biome. I embrace that future by applying the Defend and Grow the Core framework around Sagebrush Conservation Design Core and Growth Areas, and by layering in the tenants of the Resist, Accept, Direct model. The biggest gaps for ecosystem management are not from lack of knowledge, but from lack of clear administration priorities and funding, and robust social capacity to restore and steward our last geographies of hope. By using both a pessimist's and optimist's perspective on the plight of the range, I hope you deeply sense the opportunity and the urgency we face, making hard choices of what we do and where, building a long-term commitment to a restoration economy, and supporting people to save the sagebrush sea.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49634,"journal":{"name":"Rangeland Ecology & Management","volume":"97 ","pages":"Pages 209-214"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2024-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142437892","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Closing the Conservation Gap: Spatial Targeting and Coordination are Needed for Conservation to Keep Pace with Sagebrush Losses","authors":"Tina G. Mozelewski ,&nbsp;Patrick T. Freeman ,&nbsp;Alexander V. Kumar ,&nbsp;David E. Naugle ,&nbsp;Elissa M. Olimpi ,&nbsp;Scott L. Morford ,&nbsp;Michelle I. Jeffries ,&nbsp;David S. Pilliod ,&nbsp;Caitlin E. Littlefield ,&nbsp;Sarah E. McCord ,&nbsp;Lief A. Wiechman ,&nbsp;Emily J. Kachergis ,&nbsp;Kevin E. Doherty","doi":"10.1016/j.rama.2024.08.016","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.rama.2024.08.016","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Core sagebrush areas (CSAs), patches of high sagebrush ecological integrity, continue to decline despite significant conservation and restoration investments across the sagebrush biome. Historically, conservation decisions in the biome have been driven by wildlife species-specific demands, but increasing recognition of the scale of threats and the pace of ecosystem degradation has compelled a shift towards threat-based ecosystem management. Therefore, there is a need to evaluate the scale of conservation implementation relative to the rate of degradation or loss from specific threats to the biome to assess whether a conservation deficit exists. To this end, we: 1) quantified and compared the average hectares of conservation practices implemented annually relative to the hectares of CSA loss attributed to each threat; 2) evaluated the relative amount of conservation actions in core sagebrush areas, growth opportunity areas, and other rangeland areas; and 3) assessed how much additional conservation may be needed to stop CSA declines. We then quantified how better spatial targeting and enhanced coordination might reduce the total additional amount of future conservation needed, and evaluated how an influx of resources can close the conservation gap, or the deficit between the conservation needed to offset annual loss and degradation and the capacity for conservation implementation. We found that current rates of conservation (e.g., hectares treated annually) are markedly lower than rates of CSA loss (∼10% of average annual loss). Furthermore, most conservation actions, ∼90% for some treatment types, occurred outside of CSAs likely reducing the efficacy of these conservation actions at retaining and restoring intact sagebrush rangelands. Additionally, we found that conservation efforts will need to increase by more than an order of magnitude (at least 10x) annually to halt CSA declines. However, through better spatial targeting of conservation actions, the increase in conservation needed to stop CSA loss could be reduced by 70% or more. This analysis demonstrates the divergent futures that may await the sagebrush biome pending key decisions regarding conservation targeting, stakeholder cooperation, and the strategic addition of resources.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49634,"journal":{"name":"Rangeland Ecology & Management","volume":"97 ","pages":"Pages 12-24"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2024-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142437968","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Well-Connected Core Areas Retain Ecological Integrity of Sagebrush Ecosystems Amidst Overall Declines From 2001–2021","authors":"David M. Theobald ,&nbsp;Alexander V. Kumar ,&nbsp;Kevin Doherty ,&nbsp;Katherine A. Zeller ,&nbsp;Todd B. Cross","doi":"10.1016/j.rama.2024.08.020","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.rama.2024.08.020","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Conservation of species’ mobility and ecological integrity is necessary for the productivity of the sagebrush biome in the western United States. Building on the recently developed Sagebrush Conservation Design (SCD) that mapped sagebrush ecological integrity (SEI)—defined as the higher cover of sagebrush and perennial grass and reduced threats due to invasive annual grass, tree encroachment, and human disturbance—we modeled the structural connectivity of sagebrush ecosystems to better incorporate the role of landscape-level processes into assessments of integrity. Because integrity can vary spatially, as well as temporally, we quantified both interannual variability and trends in variability in SEI from 2001–2021. We used the resultant map to identify areas with high structural landscape connectivity (i.e., “well-connected cores”), then determined the coincident core sagebrush areas (CSAs) that represent functioning sagebrush ecosystem with few landscape threats, and growth opportunity areas (GOAs) that represent functioning systems impacted by one or more threats as originally defined and mapped in the SCD. We found that CSAs were located in areas with higher landscape connectivity, and the biome-wide average of SEI declined by 30% from 2001 to 2021, although the structural connectivity biome-wide declined one-third less (by 20%). CSAs located in areas with high connectivity had 25% higher SEI values on average than those with low connectivity, and the trend in declining SEI values was slower. Our datasets of landscape connectivity can be combined with other SCD products to provide a broader ecosystem context—both spatially and temporally. Our results can be used to inform, refine, focus, and prioritize conservation and management efforts to those CSAs and GOAs we identified as particularly well connected and which may be more resilient to recently altered dynamics and declines—those that will serve to anchor efforts to conserve the sagebrush biome in light of changing land use and climate.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49634,"journal":{"name":"Rangeland Ecology & Management","volume":"97 ","pages":"Pages 41-50"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2024-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142437970","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Defend and Grow the Core for Birds: How a Sagebrush Conservation Strategy Benefits Rangeland Birds","authors":"Alexander V. Kumar ,&nbsp;Jason D. Tack ,&nbsp;Kevin E. Doherty ,&nbsp;Joseph T. Smith ,&nbsp;Beth E. Ross ,&nbsp;Geoffrey Bedrosian","doi":"10.1016/j.rama.2024.08.018","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.rama.2024.08.018","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Population declines among sagebrush (<em>Artemisia</em> spp.) reliant birds mirror the larger deterioration of the sagebrush ecosystem. To combat this biome decline, western partners have unified around a common vision for sagebrush conservation by developing the Sagebrush Conservation Design, which identified high-priority areas, designated as “core sagebrush areas” (CSAs), to anchor conservation actions throughout the biome. While this conservation design did not explicitly consider the distribution or abundance of focal species, an underlying assumption has been that sagebrush-associated wildlife will benefit from actions targeting threats to the sagebrush biome. Herein, we explicitly test whether sagebrush ecological integrity (SEI), the metric used to quantify CSAs, is associated with sagebrush songbird abundance and population trends, such that CSAs provide an effective umbrella for wildlife conservation. Because species likely vary in their response to different ecological factors, we further examined the relative importance of the five components of SEI: sagebrush cover, tree cover, perennial grass cover, annual grass cover, and human modification, in structuring sagebrush songbird populations. We found substantial increases in population counts associated with increased values of SEI across three species examined: sagebrush sparrow (<em>Artemisiospiza nevadensis</em>), Brewer's sparrow (<em>Spizella breweri</em>), and sage thrasher (<em>Oreoscoptes montanus</em>). Specifically, models supported 10 times (sage thrasher), six times (Brewer's sparrow), and three times (sagebrush sparrow) higher median relative abundances in CSAs compared with surrounding areas. Further, we found strong evidence of large population declines as areas transitioned out of CSAs. Finally, although we found some species-specific differences in the relative importance of the five SEI components, generally, sagebrush cover and tree cover were more important than grass cover in influencing bird populations. We show that conservation actions designed to preserve or grow CSAs will likely benefit sagebrush-obligate songbird populations and other focal wildlife, especially if consideration is given to which component(s) of SEI are targeted.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49634,"journal":{"name":"Rangeland Ecology & Management","volume":"97 ","pages":"Pages 160-168"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2024-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142437887","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Assessing Conservation Readiness: The Where, Who, and How of Strategic onservation in the Sagebrush Biome","authors":"Katherine Wollstein ,&nbsp;Dustin Johnson ,&nbsp;Chad Boyd","doi":"10.1016/j.rama.2024.08.013","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.rama.2024.08.013","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The sagebrush biome is rapidly deteriorating largely due to the ecosystem threats of conifer expansion, more frequent and larger wildfires, and proliferation of invasive annual grasses. Reversing the impacts of these threats is a formidable challenge. The Sagebrush Conservation Design (SCD) emphasized that limited conservation resources should first be used to maintain Core Sagebrush Areas (CSA), and then to grow such areas where possible. The SCD heightens the ecological importance of maintaining and strategically growing CSAs. However, the fact that these areas have been identified does not mean that conservation is immediately possible or will be effective. Strategic conservation in the sagebrush biome does not only involve working in ecologically important areas; it is an approach that must explicitly acknowledge the social and administrative conditions in which individuals and organizations are making decisions. We accordingly propose that strategic, durable work can only occur in geographies of “conservation readiness,” that is, where ecological importance, social capacity, and conducive administrative conditions intersect. We offer a framework for assessing conservation readiness that functions as both an inventory and diagnostic tool, highlighting current assets while shining a light on needs and the types of activities that will create or sustain conservation readiness. We demonstrate the utility of the Conservation Readiness Framework for identifying the different roles and activities that must occur at local, mid, and regional levels to nurture conservation readiness over time. In practice, this approach contrasts with management driven solely by ecological importance and illustrates that effective conservation must also involve targeted efforts that curate both social and administrative conditions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49634,"journal":{"name":"Rangeland Ecology & Management","volume":"97 ","pages":"Pages 187-199"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2024-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142437890","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Climate Change Amplifies Ongoing Declines in Sagebrush Ecological Integrity","authors":"Martin C. Holdrege ,&nbsp;Kyle A. Palmquist ,&nbsp;Daniel R. Schlaepfer ,&nbsp;William K. Lauenroth ,&nbsp;Chad S. Boyd ,&nbsp;Megan K. Creutzburg ,&nbsp;Michele R. Crist ,&nbsp;Kevin E. Doherty ,&nbsp;Thomas E. Remington ,&nbsp;John C. Tull ,&nbsp;Lief A. Wiechman ,&nbsp;John B. Bradford","doi":"10.1016/j.rama.2024.08.003","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.rama.2024.08.003","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Understanding how climate change will contribute to ongoing declines in sagebrush ecological integrity is critical for informing natural resource management, yet complicated by interactions with wildfire and biological invasions. We assessed potential future changes in sagebrush ecological integrity under a range of scenarios using an individual plant-based simulation model, integrated with remotely sensed estimates of current sagebrush ecological integrity. The simulation model allowed us to estimate how climate change, wildfire, and invasive annuals interact to alter the potential abundance of key plant functional types that influence sagebrush ecological integrity: sagebrush, perennial grasses, and annual grasses. Our results suggest that climate driven reductions in sagebrush ecological integrity may occur over broader areas than increases in sagebrush ecological integrity. Declines in sagebrush ecological integrity were most likely in hot and dry regions while increases were more likely in cool and wet regions. The most common projected transitions of sagebrush ecological integrity classes were declines from Core Sagebrush Area to Growth Opportunity Area and from Growth Opportunity Area to Other Rangeland Area. Responses varied considerably across projections from different global climate models, highlighting the importance of climate uncertainty. However, our projections tended to be robust in areas that currently have the highest sagebrush ecological integrity. Our results provide a long-term perspective on the vulnerability of sagebrush ecosystems to climate change and may inform geographic prioritization of conservation and restoration investments. The results also suggest that ongoing threats, such as the continued invasion by annual grasses and increased wildfire frequency, are likely to be amplified by climate change, and imply that the current imbalance between capacity for conservation to address threats to sagebrush will grow as the climate warms.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49634,"journal":{"name":"Rangeland Ecology & Management","volume":"97 ","pages":"Pages 25-40"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2024-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142437969","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A Strategic and Science-Based Framework for Management of Invasive Annual Grasses in the Sagebrush Biome","authors":"Chad S. Boyd ,&nbsp;Megan K. Creutzburg ,&nbsp;Alexander V. Kumar ,&nbsp;Joseph T. Smith ,&nbsp;Kevin E. Doherty ,&nbsp;Brian A. Mealor ,&nbsp;John B. Bradford ,&nbsp;Matthew Cahill ,&nbsp;Stella M. Copeland ,&nbsp;Cameron A. Duquette ,&nbsp;Lindy Garner ,&nbsp;Martin C. Holdrege ,&nbsp;Bill Sparklin ,&nbsp;Todd B. Cross","doi":"10.1016/j.rama.2024.08.019","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.rama.2024.08.019","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In the last 20 years, the North American sagebrush biome has lost over 500 000 ha of intact and largely intact sagebrush plant communities on an annual basis. Much of this loss has been associated with expansion and infilling of invasive annual grasses (IAGs). These species are highly competitive against native perennial grasses in disturbed environments, and create fuel conditions that increase both the likelihood of fire ignition and the ease of wildfire spread across large landscapes. Given the current rate of IAG expansion in both burned and unburned rangelands, we propose a range-wide paradigm shift from opportunistic and reactive management, to a framework that spatially prioritizes maintenance of largely intact, uninvaded areas and improvement of invaded habitats in strategic locations. We created a framework accompanied by biome-wide priority maps using geospatial overlays that target areas to <strong>MAINTAIN</strong> large, uninvaded areas as natural resource anchors through activities to prevent IAGs, <strong>IMPROVE</strong> areas where management success in restoring large, intact landscapes is most likely, and <strong>CONTAIN</strong> IAG infestations where necessary. We then offer three case studies to illustrate the use of these concepts and map products at multiple scales. Our map products operate at the biome scale using regional data sources and additional data sources will be needed to inform local conservation planning. However, the basic strategic management principles of (1) maintaining the intact and uninvaded areas that we can least afford to lose to IAGs, (2) improving areas where we have a reasonable likelihood of restoration success, and (3) containing problems where we must, are timely, relevant, and scalable from the biome to local levels.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49634,"journal":{"name":"Rangeland Ecology & Management","volume":"97 ","pages":"Pages 61-72"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2024-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142437972","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Where Do We Go From Here With Sagebrush Conservation: A Long-Term Perspective?","authors":"Thomas E. Remington ,&nbsp;Kenneth E. Mayer ,&nbsp;San J. Stiver","doi":"10.1016/j.rama.2024.08.009","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.rama.2024.08.009","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>During our careers with State Wildlife Agencies and involvement with the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, we have watched and participated as state and federal agency perspectives about, and actions toward sagebrush (<em>Artemisia</em> spp.) have evolved. This change from sagebrush removal efforts to encourage forage production to conservation and restoration had several causes, but the largest factor was the long-term decline in greater sage-grouse (<em>Centrocercus urophasianus</em>) populations and potential for listing under the Endangered Species Act. Potential for listing accelerated planning and implementation activity by the Bureau of Land Management, US Forest Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, states, nongovernmental organizations, and private landowners that continues to this day. The tremendous investment we have all made in collaborative science has set us up for success in conserving sagebrush and sagebrush obligate species. We offer insights organized around five themes and specific recommendations for moving sagebrush conservation forward. Despite over three decades of unprecedented conservation efforts, we are still losing sagebrush at a rate of 0.53 million hectares (1.3 million acres) per year, which means we must both increase our capacity for sagebrush conservation and become more strategic in our investments. Shifting the emphasis of conservation from sage-grouse to sagebrush will reduce conflicts, increase participation, and broaden benefits. Increasing capacity, both fiscal and human from biome to local scales will require effectively communicating the value of, and threats to, the sagebrush biome. Recent science products, including this issue, offer a new ability and create a responsibility to strategically target sagebrush dollars where we can be successful. This strategic approach should be adaptive, with explicit conservation goals and monitoring to evaluate progress. This will require unprecedented collaboration to establish priority areas and goals, which will necessitate a collaborative governance structure to coordinate. Toward this end, we offer 9 specific implementation recommendations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49634,"journal":{"name":"Rangeland Ecology & Management","volume":"97 ","pages":"Pages 200-208"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2024-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142437891","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Ranchers’ and Federal Land Managers’ Mental Models of Rangeland Management Across an Environmental Gradient","authors":"Calandria P. Puntenney ,&nbsp;April Hulet ,&nbsp;Kelly A. Hopping","doi":"10.1016/j.rama.2024.08.025","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.rama.2024.08.025","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Managing rangelands to meet social-ecological goals requires monitoring ecological indicators to inform management responses. These goals and monitoring objectives are grounded in land managers’ understandings, or mental models, of the rangeland system. Rangeland managers’ mental models are often highly place-specific, which can enable management actions to be matched to local conditions. In the western United States, ranchers and federal agency personnel, like those in the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), are two of the primary social groups involved in rangeland management. We compared ranchers’ and BLM personnel's rangeland mental models across two regions. We conducted semi-structured interviews about their management goals and objectives, as well as their perspectives on important rangeland system dynamics and the constraints inhibiting them from reaching their goals. We used a mixed-methods approach, including network analysis metrics, to elucidate similarities and differences in their mental models and in the ecological indicators they use to assess rangeland health and to trigger management actions. We found that their goals differed more between social groups, whereas specific management objectives differed more between geographic regions and reflected local priorities, such as invasive species and wildfire risk. Ranchers’ and agency personnel's mental models indicated divergent perspectives on the seasonal impacts of livestock on soils and vegetation and about grazing as either a disturbance to be mitigated or as a tool to maintain critical ecosystem processes. These findings indicate that ranchers and agency personnel have place-specific knowledge, but that their mental models are more similar to others in their social group than to those outside their social group in the same region. Differences in their conceptions of rangeland management suggest areas for increased communication between ranchers and agency personnel, which could in turn promote mutual understanding and collaboration toward shared objectives, thereby helping both groups overcome constraints to reach their management goals.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49634,"journal":{"name":"Rangeland Ecology & Management","volume":"98 ","pages":"Pages 94-109"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2024-10-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142745693","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Understanding How Ranchers Adaptively Manage for Drought in Northeastern Colorado","authors":"Emily Donaldson ,&nbsp;Hailey Wilmer ,&nbsp;Corrie Knapp ,&nbsp;Justin D. Derner","doi":"10.1016/j.rama.2024.08.026","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.rama.2024.08.026","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>As ranchers in the western United States face more severe droughts with increased variability in forage production, their operations and associated rural communities face heightened vulnerability to drought impacts. Predicted increases in the severity and duration of droughts in this region suggest that understanding context-specific responses could allow for more effective drought responses. We employed a mixed-methods approach (mail surveys and focus groups) to understand factors that influence individual rancher's observed adaptive response and use of decision-making indicators to respond to drought. We find that, like other rangeland systems, Colorado shortgrass steppe ranchers are motivated to maintain an economically viable operation through flexible management and diverse income sources in the face of barriers like resource variability, ecological complexity, and other stressors beyond their control (e.g., climate and feed grain markets). The most common adaptation strategy was maintaining conservative stocking rates; however, ranchers also used on-site drought indicators such as decreased soil moisture, decreased summer precipitation, and high plant stress. Our research suggests that in NE Colorado, traditional rangeland management with conservative stocking rates may be an example of adaptive management. Our research suggests that it is critical to understand context to assess the adaptive actions of ranching communities.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49634,"journal":{"name":"Rangeland Ecology & Management","volume":"98 ","pages":"Pages 83-93"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2024-10-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142745773","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}