Developing habitat models for rare plants to inform decision making on multiple-use public lands Active
Public lands provide important habitat for many rare plants. However, public lands often need to accommodate many other uses, including traditional and renewable energy development, in addition to conservation. We are working with the Bureau of Land Management to coproduce ensemble habitat suitability models that can inform agency planning and permitting decisions that may impact rare plants.
Background
Public lands provide important habitat for many rare species, including rare and endemic plants. Most public lands, including those managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), are managed to accommodate many different resources, uses, and values, ranging from conservation to recreation to development of traditional and renewable sources of energy.
Developing habitat suitability models for use at local scales, such as within individual BLM field offices, can increase understanding of where suitable habitat occurs for rare plants. This knowledge can help agency staff more accurately assess potential impacts of management decisions on rare plants. Models can also help agency staff work with project proponents early in the development process to consider alternative scenarios or designs that could minimize negative effects to rare plants. However, habitat models for rare plants that are appropriate for use in decision making at this scale are not always available.
Project goal
Our goal is to work closely with BLM staff and other rare plant experts, in an iterative, coproduction framework, to develop habitat suitability models for rare plants that occur on BLM-managed public lands. We are focused on developing ensemble models that utilize a suite of environmental predictors, often derived from remotely sensed data products, that are specifically tailored to the species biology and ecology, and that capture key habitat requirements for the species.
Anticipated benefits
Involving agency staff and other rare plant experts in a coproduced, iterative, ensemble modeling process can improve models, enhance agency understanding of the modeling process, and build trust among agency staff in the quality and accuracy of the final models. All of these factors may contribute to greater use of habitat models in public lands decisions and support more robust, consistent, and transparent environmental analyses. Models also play an important role in identifying new locations in which rare plants may be found and informing conservation efforts to protect rare plants on and around public lands.
Science-management partnership
USGS, BLM, and other federal, state, and tribal entities are partnering to coproduce practical, actionable science that informs future planning, policy, and management decisions on public lands managed by the BLM (see Beier and others, 2017 for more information on coproduction).
