Prioritizing sagebrush protection and restoration within the upper Colorado River Basin
Arid shrublands of western North America face growing threats from disturbances such as wildfire, drought, and invasive species. These threats are increasingly altering the sagebrush (Artemisia species) biome and degrading habitat for species of conservation concern such as greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus). Effective management and restoration are needed to slow or reverse these processes and maintain or increase connectivity within Core Sagebrush Areas (CSA) and Growth Opportunity Areas (GOA) identified by the Sagebrush Conservation Design (SCD). We are building an extension of the Prioritizing Restoration of Sagebrush Ecosystems Tool (PReSET) to help target the protection of intact areas supporting high biodiversity and restoration of resilient areas within the upper Colorado River Basin.
Background
Sagebrush recovery and restoration are slow processes with high risks of failure, necessitating tools that identify sites with high probability of natural recovery, those requiring active restoration, those least resilient to disturbance that need protection, and sites for restoration which may support sagebrush over the long term. For this project we are leveraging existing and in-production ecological and abiotic models to evaluate areas for future restoration and/or protection.
Project Aims
We are expanding upon an existing PReSET (Prioritizing Restoration of Sagebrush Ecosystems Tool) application to prioritize locations within, and between, Core Sagebrush Areas (CSA) and Growth Opportunity Areas (GOAs) for protection and restoration actions. This spatial prioritization effort can help guide land management to areas capable of returning the greatest conservation value per unit investment, where landscape connectivity can be retained and/or enhanced, and where conservation actions will be compatible with future climatic conditions within the upper Colorado River Basin. We seek to co-develop optimization scenarios with partners and stakeholders to specifically address sagebrush management objectives which could include (1) protecting or restoring sites capable of providing high sagebrush connectivity, (2) protecting core sagebrush areas with low resiliency, or (3) restoring sites which are expected to have high resiliency under future climate conditions.
Coproduction Workshops
In the fall of 2022, we held a series of coproduction workshops with partners and stakeholders to identify desired objectives related to protection and restoration efforts, better understand logistical constraints of projects, and identify key decisions managers and stakeholders make. Information shared during these workshops crystalized the need for a regional prioritization effort to provide landscape-scale context regarding sagebrush restoration and protection. In addition, we also learned that projects are largely implemented at local levels and managers require local expertise and information incorporated into a prioritization effort (local prioritization) to make informed decisions for a specific project area. We are addressing these needs through this upper Colorado River Basin (regional prioritization) effort and two additional companion efforts; one in northwestern Colorado and another for Gunnison sage-grouse (local prioritization) to specifically address these needs.
Management Implications
Outputs from the regional upper Colorado River Basin prioritization effort will provide critical broad-scale information for allocating resources within the Colorado River Basin so conservation action can effectively grow and defend the sagebrush core. Outputs from this effort can be also used to support, evaluate, and/or inform BLM’s National Prioritization Strategy. Prioritization outputs can be used to identify focal areas for local scale prioritization efforts (in addition to the northwestern Colorado and Gunnison sage-grouse efforts), which are prioritized regionally for conservation action.
Prioritizing Restoration of Sagebrush Ecosystems Tool (PReSET): A USGS-facilitated Decision-support Tool for Sagebrush Ecosystem Conservation and Restoration Actions
Prioritizing restoration and conservation of Wyoming’s sagebrush ecosystems for wildlife and sagebrush connectivity
Prioritizing restoration and conservation of sagebrush ecosystems in northwestern Colorado
Arid shrublands of western North America face growing threats from disturbances such as wildfire, drought, and invasive species. These threats are increasingly altering the sagebrush (Artemisia species) biome and degrading habitat for species of conservation concern such as greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus). Effective management and restoration are needed to slow or reverse these processes and maintain or increase connectivity within Core Sagebrush Areas (CSA) and Growth Opportunity Areas (GOA) identified by the Sagebrush Conservation Design (SCD). We are building an extension of the Prioritizing Restoration of Sagebrush Ecosystems Tool (PReSET) to help target the protection of intact areas supporting high biodiversity and restoration of resilient areas within the upper Colorado River Basin.
Background
Sagebrush recovery and restoration are slow processes with high risks of failure, necessitating tools that identify sites with high probability of natural recovery, those requiring active restoration, those least resilient to disturbance that need protection, and sites for restoration which may support sagebrush over the long term. For this project we are leveraging existing and in-production ecological and abiotic models to evaluate areas for future restoration and/or protection.
Project Aims
We are expanding upon an existing PReSET (Prioritizing Restoration of Sagebrush Ecosystems Tool) application to prioritize locations within, and between, Core Sagebrush Areas (CSA) and Growth Opportunity Areas (GOAs) for protection and restoration actions. This spatial prioritization effort can help guide land management to areas capable of returning the greatest conservation value per unit investment, where landscape connectivity can be retained and/or enhanced, and where conservation actions will be compatible with future climatic conditions within the upper Colorado River Basin. We seek to co-develop optimization scenarios with partners and stakeholders to specifically address sagebrush management objectives which could include (1) protecting or restoring sites capable of providing high sagebrush connectivity, (2) protecting core sagebrush areas with low resiliency, or (3) restoring sites which are expected to have high resiliency under future climate conditions.
Coproduction Workshops
In the fall of 2022, we held a series of coproduction workshops with partners and stakeholders to identify desired objectives related to protection and restoration efforts, better understand logistical constraints of projects, and identify key decisions managers and stakeholders make. Information shared during these workshops crystalized the need for a regional prioritization effort to provide landscape-scale context regarding sagebrush restoration and protection. In addition, we also learned that projects are largely implemented at local levels and managers require local expertise and information incorporated into a prioritization effort (local prioritization) to make informed decisions for a specific project area. We are addressing these needs through this upper Colorado River Basin (regional prioritization) effort and two additional companion efforts; one in northwestern Colorado and another for Gunnison sage-grouse (local prioritization) to specifically address these needs.
Management Implications
Outputs from the regional upper Colorado River Basin prioritization effort will provide critical broad-scale information for allocating resources within the Colorado River Basin so conservation action can effectively grow and defend the sagebrush core. Outputs from this effort can be also used to support, evaluate, and/or inform BLM’s National Prioritization Strategy. Prioritization outputs can be used to identify focal areas for local scale prioritization efforts (in addition to the northwestern Colorado and Gunnison sage-grouse efforts), which are prioritized regionally for conservation action.