Location: Range Sheep Production Efficiency Research
Project Number: 2056-21500-001-000-D
Project Type: In-House Appropriated
Start Date: Mar 6, 2024
End Date: Mar 5, 2029
Objective:
Objective 1: Determine the interactive influences of land use, management strategies, and climate on the ability of rangelands to provide multiple ecosystem services.
Sub-objective 1.A: Quantify long-term (since 1959/1960) effects of grazing and grazing removal on the composition of four plant community types in high elevation rangelands, accounting for site characteristics and climate variability.
Sub-objective 1.B: Quantify the effects of livestock grazing and grazing removal on the ecosystems services provided by montane meadows along an elevation gradient (~2200-2800m), accounting for climate and static site properties.
Objective 2: Develop and evaluate methods for co-produced, social-ecological research for agroecological landscapes.
Sub-objective 2A: Co-produce a method for collaborative adaptive management with stakeholders to address management for multiple ecosystem services.
Approach:
This project fills critical research gaps to support rangeland production and conservation goals in the upper Intermountain West through the development of: 1) science-based management frameworks assessing the effects of grazing and climate on rangeland ecosystem services; and 2) effective science co-production methods for living rangeland laboratories. Rangelands are the dominant land use in the western US. These lands support rural economies, food and fiber systems, and other ecosystem services, including biodiversity. However, rangelands are threatened by climate change, ecological uncertainty, and land use change. Furthermore, diverse stakeholder groups have historically experienced social conflict over goals for livestock grazing and conservation, particularly on public rangelands. Ranching and conservation partners have called on the ARS Range Sheep Production Efficiency Research (RSPER) Unit to “redesign” our rangeland research approach to be inclusive of biodiversity and livelihood goals (i.e., to include multiple ecosystem services), an immediate research need for public lands management nation-wide.
The NP 215 project takes on that challenge with a social-ecological approach. The first objective seeks to determine the interactive influences of land use, management strategies, and climate on the ability of rangelands to provide multiple ecosystem services. Under this objective, scientists will quantify long-term (since 1959/1960) effects of grazing and grazing removal on the composition of four plant community types in high elevation rangelands, accounting for site characteristics and climate variability. Scientists will also quantify the effects of livestock grazing and grazing removal on the ecosystem services provided by montane meadows along an elevation gradient (~2200-2800m), accounting for climate and static site properties. The second objective seeks to develop and evaluate methods for co-produced, social-ecological research for agroecological landscapes. Scientists will co-produce method for collaborative adaptive management with stakeholders to address management for multiple ecosystem services. A multi-year collaborative project draws from participatory research methods, which are concerned with engaging the public in science directly. In this case, the collaborative effort will use an adaptive management approach with multiple groups of people to engage and build upon multiple knowledges and perspectives in knowledge generation for increased adaptive capacity.
