Sustaining working rangelands: Insights from rancher decision making

Authors: ROCHE, LESLIE - University Of California; SCHOHR, TRACY - University Of California; Derner, Justin; LUBELL, MARK - University Of California; CUTTS, BETHANY - University Of Illinois; KACHERGIS, EMILY - Bureau Of Land Management; EVINER, VALERIA - University Of California; TATE, KEN - University Of California

Submitted to: Rangeland Ecology and Management
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/30/2019
Publication Date: 7/6/2015
Publication URL: http://handle.nal.usda.gov/10113/61689
Citation: Roche, L.M., Schohr, T.K., Derner, J.D., Lubell, M.N., Cutts, B.B., Kachergis, E., Eviner, V.T., Tate, K.W. 2015. Sustaining working rangelands: Insights from rancher decision making. Rangeland Ecology and Management. 68:383-389.

Interpretive Summary: Knowledge and understanding from ranchers on the ground provides a rich amount of information for the sustainable management of rangelands. To address this, we used the Rangeland Decision Making Survey completed by 507 California ranchers to gain insight into key factors shaping their adaptive rangeland decision-making, their perspectives on effective management practices and ranching information sources, as well as their concerns for sustaining working rangelands within a social-ecological framework. Three key results emerged from the survey: 1) differences across ranching operations in ranch structure, management goals, and adaptive decision-making maintains flexibility and support at multiple scales for the co-production of economic and ecological services, 2) collaborative, trust based partnerships for sustained working rangelands need to be built that share economic and ecological goals, and 3) ranchers perceive environmental regulations and government policies—rather than environmental drivers—as the major threats to the future of their operations.

Technical Abstract: Grazed rangeland ecosystems encompass diverse global land resources, and are complex social-ecological systems from which society demands both goods (e.g., livestock and forage production) and services (e.g., abundant and high quality water). In the dialogue on rangeland conservation and sustainable use, there is a critical need to include the collective experiential knowledge, perceptions, and values of ranchers and managers who own and work these lands. Here, we surveyed 507 (33% response rate) California ranchers to gain insight into key factors shaping their adaptive rangeland decision-making, their perspectives on effective management practices and ranching information sources, as well as their concerns for sustaining working rangelands within a social-ecological framework. Our analysis of the California Rangeland Decision-Making Survey provides three important insights into sustaining multifunctional working landscapes. First, the observed diversity in ranch structure, management goals, and adaptive decision-making across California’s ranching operations aligns with the call from sustainability science to maintain flexibility and support at multiple scales for the co-production of economic and ecological services. The diversity in ranching operations further highlights why single-policy and management “panaceas” often fail. Second, the information resources ranchers rely on suggest that sustaining rangelands as working landscapes will require collaborative, trust based partnerships built on shared economic and ecological goals. Third, ranchers perceive environmental regulations and government policies—rather than environmental drivers—as the major threats to the future of their operations. These results illuminate important challenges and opportunities in achieving a shared vision for sustainable rangeland social-ecological systems.