scholarly journals Landscape Conservation Forecasting for Data-Poor at-Risk Species on Western Public Lands, United States

Climate ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 79
Author(s):  
Louis Provencher ◽  
Kevin Badik ◽  
Tanya Anderson ◽  
Joel Tuhy ◽  
Dan Fletcher ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Habitat Suitability ◽  
Public Lands ◽  
Ecological Systems ◽  
Climate Impacts ◽  
Perennial Grasses ◽  
Prairie Dog ◽  
Sage Grouse ◽  
Global Circulation Models ◽  
Management Actions

Managing vast federal public lands governed by multiple land use policies creates challenges when demographic data on at-risk species are lacking. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management Cedar City Field Office used this project in the Black Mountains (Utah) to inform vegetation management supporting at-risk greater sage-grouse and Utah prairie dog planning. Ecological systems were mapped from satellite remote sensing imagery and used to model species habitat suitability under two levels of management activity (custodial, preferred) and climate scenarios for historic and two global circulation models. Spatial state-and-transition models of ecological systems were simulated for all six scenarios up to 60 years while coupled with expert-developed habitat suitability indices. All ecological systems are at least moderately departed from reference conditions in 2012, whereas habitat suitability was 50.5% and 48.4% for sage-grouse and prairie dog, respectively. Management actions replaced non-native annual grasslands with perennial grasses, removed conifers, and controlled exotic forbs. The drier climate most affected ecological departure and prairie dog habitat suitability at 30 years only. Different climates influenced spatial patterns of sage-grouse habitat suitability, but nonspatial values were unchanged. Climate impacts on fire, vegetation succession, and restoration explain many results. Front-loading restoration is predicted to benefit under future drier climate.

“Saving Trees, Land, and Boys”: Juveniles, Environment, and “the Unfinished City”

2021 ◽  
pp. 009614422110257
Author(s):  
Jeffrey C. Sanders
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Juvenile Delinquency ◽  
Urban Poverty ◽  
Public Lands ◽  
At Risk Youth ◽  
The 1960S

This article examines juvenile delinquency, environment, and race in the War on Poverty’s approach to urban poverty—especially in Los Angles—during the 1960s. It focuses on the role played by the Youth Conservation Corps program that sent “at-risk” youth into western public lands to be reformed and, ostensibly, to be trained as future breadwinners.

Outdoor Recreationists’ Perceptions of Risk, Agency Trust, and Visitor Capacities During the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
William Rice ◽  
Timothy Mateer ◽  
Peter Newman ◽  
Ben Lawhon ◽  
Nathan Reigner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Perceived Risk ◽  
Outdoor Recreation ◽  
Public Lands ◽  
The United States ◽  
Individual Risk ◽  
Public Health Agencies ◽  
Management Actions ◽  
Health Agencies ◽  
Community Risk

For nearly a century in the United States, visitor capacities have served as a means of preserving resources and the visitor experience on public lands. The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in increased interest in implementing visitor capacities that could potentially limit use on public lands, suggesting a need to understand public support for their use in a timely manner. Risk and trust have been used in previous research concerning support for natural resource and outdoor recreation decision-making. Research in this realm includes investigation at the intersection of outdoor recreation and public health, specific to chronic wasting disease. Following this previous research, this study utilizes the constructs of risk and trust to examine support for visitor capacities that could potentially limit use during the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, this theory-driven research relies on the cultural theory of risk and social trust theory. Using structural equation modeling and a sample of avid outdoor enthusiasts, we examine how well 1) perceived individual risk, 2) perceived community risk, 3) trust in public health agencies, and 4) trust in public land agencies predict support for visitor capacities that could potentially limit use. An email-distributed online survey was available for 48 hours beginning on April 30, 2020—during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. Measurement of perceived risk and trust followed previous research relating to outdoor recreation and public health. Results indicate that outdoor enthusiasts are concerned about their individual and community health and reported higher levels of trust in data coming directly from public health agencies as opposed to state or federal land management agencies. Additionally, perceived individual risk and perceived community risk were significant predictors of support for visitor capacities. These findings can be used to improve the effectiveness of messaging intended to connect perceived risk to the management of parks and protected areas, thus providing credibility to management actions implemented during the pandemic. Additional implications from this research include the need for additional research examining support for management actions that could potentially limit use on public lands, the multidimensionality of trust in outdoor recreation, and individual risk in frontcountry outdoor recreation settings.

Speargrass (Heteropogon Contortus) in Australia : Dynamics of Species and Community.

1995 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
AC Grice ◽  
S Mcintyre
Keyword(s):  
Animal Production ◽  
Perennial Grasses ◽  
Ecological Knowledge ◽  
Heteropogon Contortus ◽  
Management Actions ◽  
Ecological Understanding ◽  
State And Transition Models ◽  
Low Levels ◽  
Available Information ◽  
Extreme Seasonality

The perennial tallgrass Heteropogon contortus is widespread and both ecologically and economically important. It often dominates the understorey of Eucalyptus woodlands in tropical and subtropical Australia. We present an historical overview of management and research in these important grasslands and review currently available information, particularly in relation to change at the community level. The use of H, contortus communities for extensive pastoralism led to its increase at the expense of other grasses. Ecological studies sought to explain how it came to dominate large areas but much research focussed on identifying pasture species, particularly legumes, that could replace or supplement what were seen as unproductive native grasses. Other efforts were directed at improving the generally low levels of animal production that resulted from the extreme seasonality of forage quality, and examining the animal production consequences of various management actions. There is some evidence that H. contortus has declined over large areas since the 1970s, but this process and its mechanisms are not well documented. Generally, research that has taken an empirical approach to improving animal production is poorly placed to provide a comprehensive ecological understanding. This is evident in several attempts to synthesise an ecological .understanding of H. contortus communities, notably in the form of state-and-transition models. These models contain generalities, some of which have little confirmation in experimental results. The geographic range and temporal variability of H. contortus communities make it difficult to generalise on the basis of single site, short term experiments that investigate one or a few factors in isolation. There is an increasing awareness of the need for sustainable management of native and natural pastures, including the H. contortus grasslands. Meeting this need will require the maintenance of the perennial grasses of northern Australian savannas and an ecological knowledge that can predict change in a variety of circumstances and locations.

Mapping habitat suitability for at-risk plant species and its implications for restoration and reintroduction

2014 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 385-395 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erin J. Questad ◽  
James R. Kellner ◽  
Kealoha Kinney ◽  
Susan Cordell ◽  
Gregory P. Asner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Habitat Suitability

scholarly journals Modelling habitat suitability in Jordan for the cutaneous leishmaniasis vector (Phlebotomus papatasi) using multicriteria decision analysis

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (11) ◽  
pp. e0008852
Author(s):  
Emi A. Takahashi ◽  
Lina Masoud ◽  
Rami Mukbel ◽  
Javier Guitian ◽  
Kim B. Stevens
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Decision Analysis ◽  
Cutaneous Leishmaniasis ◽  
Habitat Suitability ◽  
Human Population ◽  
Multicriteria Decision Analysis ◽  
Phlebotomus Papatasi ◽  
Multicriteria Decision ◽  
Population At Risk ◽  
Use Of Resources

Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is a zoonotic vector-borne neglected tropical disease transmitted by female Phlebotomine sand flies. It is distributed globally but a large proportion of cases (70–75%) are found in just ten countries. CL is endemic in Jordan yet there is a lack of robust entomological data and true reporting status is unknown. This study aimed to map habitat suitability of the main CL vector, Phlebotomus papatasi, in Jordan as a proxy for CL risk distribution to (i) identify areas potentially at risk of CL and (ii) estimate the human population at risk of CL. A literature review identified potential environmental determinants for P. papatasi occurrence including temperature, humidity, precipitation, vegetation, wind speed, presence of human households and presence of the fat sand rat. Each predictor variable was (a) mapped; (b) standardized to a common size, resolution and scale using fuzzy membership functions; (c) assigned a weight using the analytical hierarchy process (AHP); and (d) included within a multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA) model to produce monthly maps illustrating the predicted habitat suitability (between 0 and 1) for P. papatasi in Jordan. Suitability increased over the summer months and was generally highest in the north-western regions of the country and along the Jordan Valley, areas which largely coincided with highly populated parts of the country, including areas where Syrian refugee camps are located. Habitat suitability in Jordan for the main CL vector—P. papatasi—was heterogeneous over both space and time. Suitable areas for P. papatasi coincided with highly populated areas of Jordan which suggests that the targeted implementation of control and surveillance strategies in defined areas such as those with very high CL vector suitability (>0.9 suitability) would focus only on 3.42% of the country’s total geographic area, whilst still including a substantial proportion of the population at risk: estimates range from 72% (European Commission’s Global Human Settlement population grid) to 89% (Gridded Population of the World) depending on the human population density data used. Therefore, high impact public health interventions could be achieved within a reduced spatial target, thus maximizing the efficient use of resources.

scholarly journals Linking nest microhabitat selection to nest survival within declining pheasant populations in the Central Valley of California

2020 ◽  
Vol 47 (5) ◽  
pp. 391
Author(s):  
Ian A. Dwight ◽  
Jessica H. Vogt ◽  
Peter S. Coates ◽  
Joseph P. Fleskes ◽  
Daniel P. Connelly ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Nest Survival ◽  
Perennial Grass ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Central Valley ◽  
Perennial Grasses ◽  
Microhabitat Selection ◽  
Grass Cover ◽  
Nest Sites ◽  
Management Actions

Abstract ContextThe ring-necked pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) has experienced considerable population declines in recent decades, especially in agricultural environments of the Central Valley of California. Although large-scale changes in land cover have been reported as an important driver of population dynamics, the effects of microhabitat conditions on specific demographic rates (e.g. nesting) are largely unknown. AimsOur goal was to identify the key microhabitat factors that contribute to wild pheasant fitness by linking individual-level selection of each microhabitat characteristic to the survival of their nests within the California Central Valley. MethodsWe radio- or GPS-marked 190 female ring-necked pheasants within five study areas and measured nest-site characteristics and nest fates during 2013–2017. Specifically, we modeled microhabitat selection using vegetation covariates measured at nest sites and random sites and then modeled nest survival as a function of selecting each microhabitat characteristic. Key resultsFemale pheasants tended to select nest sites with greater proportions of herbaceous cover and avoided areas with greater proportions of bare-ground. Specifically, perennial grass cover was the most explanatory factor with regard to nest survival, but selection for increasing visual obstruction alone was not shown to have a significant effect on survival. Further, we found strong evidence that pheasants selecting sites with greater perennial grass height were more likely to have successful nests. ConclusionsAlthough pheasants will select many types of vegetation available as cover, our models provided evidence that perennial grasses are more beneficial than other cover types to pheasants selecting nesting sites. ImplicationsFocusing management actions on promoting perennial grass cover and increased heights at the microsite level, in lieu of other vegetative modifications, may provide improved quality of habitat for nesting pheasants and, perhaps, result in increased productivity. This is especially important if cover is limited during specific times of the nesting period. Understanding how microhabitat selection influences fitness can help land managers develop strategies to increase the sustainability of hunted populations of this popular game-bird species.

scholarly journals The importance of seasonal resource selection when managing a threatened species: targeting conservation actions within critical habitat designations for the Gunnison sage-grouse

2017 ◽  
Vol 44 (5) ◽  
pp. 407 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. B. Rice ◽  
A. D. Apa ◽  
L. A. Wiechman
Keyword(s):  
Resource Selection ◽  
Radio Telemetry ◽  
Sage Grouse ◽  
Isolated Populations ◽  
Critical Habitat ◽  
Selection Models ◽  
Management Actions ◽  
The Us ◽  
Conservation Actions ◽  
Priority Habitat

Context The ability to identify priority habitat is critical for species of conservation concern. The designation of critical habitat under the US Endangered Species Act 1973 identifies areas occupied by the species that are important for conservation and may need special management or protection. However, relatively few species’ critical habitats designations incorporate habitat suitability models or seasonal specificity, even when that information exists. Gunnison sage-grouse (GUSG) have declined substantially from their historical range and were listed as threatened by the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) in November 2014. GUSG are distributed into eight isolated populations in Colorado and Utah, and one population, the Gunnison Basin (GB), has been the focus of much research. Aims To provide season-specific resource selection models to improve targeted conservation actions within the designated critical habitat in the GB. Methods We utilised radio-telemetry data from GUSG captured and monitored from 2004 to 2010. We were able to estimate resource selection models for the breeding (1 April–15 July) and summer (16 July–30 September) seasons in the GB using vegetation, topographical and anthropogenic variables. We compared the seasonal models with the existing critical habitat to investigate whether the more specific seasonal models helped identify priority habitat for GUSG. Key results The predictive surface for the breeding model indicated higher use of large areas of sagebrush, whereas the predictive surface for the summer model predicted use of more diverse habitats. The breeding and summer models (combined) matched the current critical habitat designation 68.5% of the time. We found that although the overall habitat was similar between the critical habitat designation and our combined models, the pattern and configuration of the habitat were very different. Conclusions These models highlight areas with favourable environmental variables and spatial juxtaposition to establish priority habitat within the critical habitat designated by USFWS. More seasonally specific resource selection models will assist in identifying specific areas within the critical habitat designation to concentrate habitat improvements, conservation and restoration within the GB. Implications This information can be used to provide insight into the patterns of seasonal habitat selection and can identify priority GUSG habitat to incorporate into critical habitat designation for targeted management actions.

scholarly journals Growth at Risk From Climate Change

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 (054) ◽  
pp. 1-19
Author(s):  
Michael T. Kiley ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Economic Growth ◽  
At Risk ◽  
Economic Activity ◽  
Financial Stability ◽  
Climate Impacts ◽  
Average Level ◽  
Quantile Regressions ◽  
Effects Of Temperature

How will climate change affect risks to economic activity? Research on climate impacts has tended to focus on effects on the average level of economic growth. I examine whether climate change may make severe contractions in economic activity more likely using quantile regressions linking growth to temperature. The effects of temperature on downside risks to economic growth are large and robust across specifications. These results suggest the growth at risk from climate change is large—climate change may make economic contractions more likely and severe and thereby significantly impact economic and financial stability and welfare.

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