Lindsey, P.A., Havemann, C.P., Lines, R.M., Price, A.E., Retief, T.A., Rhebergen, T., Van der Waal, C. and Romañach, S.S., 2013. Benefits of wildlife-based land uses on private lands in Namibia and limitations affecting their development. Oryx, 47(01), pp.41-53.
Stephanie Romañach, Ph.D.
Biography
EDUCATION
Ph.D., Ecology, University of California, Santa Barbara, 2003
M.A., Ecology, University of California, Santa Barbara
B.S., Zoology, University of Florida, 1998
RESEARCH
Stephanie uses a combination of field observations and predictive ecological models to explore the impacts of climate change and ecosystem restoration on wildlife.
BACKGROUND
Before joining USGS, Stephanie 's research focused on getting science used in natural resource decision making through projects such as endangered African wild dog conservation and ecology, bushmeat trade and rural livelihoods, the role of trophy hunting in wildlife conservation, and large carnivore population ecology.
Science and Products
Date published: October 29, 2020
Status: Active Enhancing Cross-Jurisdictional Adaptive Management in the Gulf of Mexico
Using an iterative qualitative coding process, WARC researchers are identifying objectives, stressors, and management priorities to support the implementation of adaptive management in restoration programs across the Gulf of Mexico.
Attribution: Wetland and Aquatic Research Center
Date published: June 22, 2020
Status: Active NexView: Empowering decision makers to assess the impacts of development on social-ecological systems in the Lower Mekong River Basin by increasing access with integrated and visualized data, models, and decision making tools
The NexView integrated decision framework will facilitate informed discussions and decisions by enabling policy makers to manipulate and explore multiple decision scenarios and understand the impacts of these decision alternatives before decisions are made.
Contacts: Stephanie Romañach, Ph.D.
Attribution: Wetland and Aquatic Research Center
Date published: November 21, 2019
Status: Active Webinar: Using Decision Tools to Design the Everglades Headwaters National Wildlife Refuge
View this webinar to learn how decision tools may be used to help managers identify habitat that meet land management objectives.
Contacts: Stephanie Romañach, Ph.D.
Date published: October 15, 2019
Status: Active Spatial Ecology of Bobcats in the Greater Everglades
WARC researchers will estimate the density and distribution of bobcats in relation to environmental variables through the development of spatially explicit capture-recapture and occupancy models.
Contacts: Stephanie Romañach, Ph.D.
Date published: June 28, 2019
Status: Active Modeling Conservation Targets for the Peninsular Florida Landscape Conservation Cooperative
The USGS is working with the Peninsular Florida Landscape Conservation Cooperative to develop forecast models that integrate potential impacts from external drivers for selected conservation targets and priority resources.
Contacts: Stephanie Romañach, Ph.D.
Date published: June 28, 2019
Status: Active Multispecies Operational Forecasting in the Florida Everglades
A USGS forecasting tool helps Everglades natural resource managers identify management actions that can benefit one or more species while quantifying the potential costs to others.
Contacts: Stephanie Romañach, Ph.D.
Date published: May 23, 2019
Status: Active Modeling Spatial Habitat Quality for the Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow
The Joint Ecosystem Modeling (JEM) team will develop species distribution models that incorporate hydrologic and habitat variables known to influence Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow occurrence.
Contacts: Stephanie Romañach, Ph.D.
Date published: May 23, 2019
Status: Active Ecological Modeling in Support of the Western Everglades Restoration Project
Joint Ecosystem Modeling (JEM) provides ecological models tailored to address specific management issues, for example, the Western Everglades Restoration Project.
Contacts: Stephanie Romañach, Ph.D.
Date published: May 1, 2019
Status: Active Evaluating Ecological Vulnerabilities of the Greater Everglades Ecosystem to Provide Decision Support for Restoration
USGS scientists develop decision support tools to help inform management and restoration of the Greater Everglades Ecosystem.
Contacts: Laura E D'Acunto, PhD, Stephanie Romañach, Ph.D.
Date published: February 27, 2019
Status: Active Habitat Modeling for the Endangered Everglades Snail Kite and Its Prey
Joint Ecosystem Modeling (JEM) provides real-time habitat suitability models for species of interest in Everglades restoration planning, including the federally endangered Everglades snail kite.
Contacts: Stephanie Romañach, Ph.D.
Date published: September 19, 2018
Status: Active Joint Ecosystem Modeling: Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow Helper
The Sparrow Helper tool allows for the evaluation of water management scenarios by generating, plotting, and mapping hydrologic metrics across a range of time scales to predict impacts of proposed water depth changes to sparrow subpopulations.
Contacts: James Beerens, Ph.D., Stephanie Romañach, Ph.D.
Date published: September 18, 2018
Status: Active Joint Ecosystem Modeling: Wader Distribution & Evaluation Modeling (WADEM)
WADEM (Wader Distribution Evaluation Modeling) is a JEM model that estimates species-specific habitat suitability across the landscape for Great Egret (Ardea alba), White Ibis (Eudocimus albus), and Wood Stork (Mycteria americana).
Contacts: James Beerens, Ph.D., Stephanie Romañach, Ph.D.
Date published: April 20, 2016
Joint Ecosystem Modeling (JEM) Support
The JEM community of practice is focused on ecological modeling and monitoring across the Greater Everglades, with particular interest in habitats, how various factors affect habitat change, and how the organisms dependent on those habitats respond today and into the future.
Attribution: Ecosystems, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center
Date published: April 20, 2016
Everglades Eco-Modeling Data Visualization and Tool Development
Working with the Joint Ecosystem Modeling (JEM) community of practice, the WARC Advanced Applications Team developed and maintains the EverVIEW Data Viewer desktop visualization platform, which allows users to easily visualize and inspect standards-compliant NetCDF modeling data and has experienced tremendous feature growth driven by user feedback.
Attribution: Ecosystems, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center
Date published: April 20, 2016
EverVIEW Lite
Recently, the Team has developed and released EverVIEW Lite, an online web mapping framework based on the core features available in the desktop viewer.
Attribution: Ecosystems, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center
Year Published: 2021
The Everglades vulnerability analysis—Integrating ecological models and addressing uncertainty
The Everglades vulnerability analysis (EVA) is a project led by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the National Park Service and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to accomplish one of the science goals of Restoration Coordination & Verification (RECOVER), a multiagency group responsible for providing scientific and technical evaluations...
D’Acunto, Laura E.; Romañach, Stephanie S.; Haider, Saira M.; Hackett, Caitlin E.; Nestler, Jennifer H.; Shinde, Dilip; Pearlstine, Leonard G.Attribution: Wetland and Aquatic Research Center, Ecosystems, Region 2: South Atlantic-Gulf (Includes Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands), Region 4: Mississippi Basin
View Citation
D’Acunto, L.E., Romañach, S.S., Haider, S.M., Hackett, C.E., Nestler, J.H., Shinde, D., and Pearlstine, L.G., 2021, The Everglades vulnerability analysis—Integrating ecological models and addressing uncertainty: U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 2021–3033, 4 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/fs20213033.
Year Published: 2021
EverForecast—A near-term forecasting application for ecological decision support
The Everglades Forecasting application (EverForecast) provides decision makers with a support tool to examine optimal allocations of water across the managed landscape while explicitly quantifying the conflicting needs of multiple species. Covering the Greater Everglades (a vast, subtropical wetland ecosystem in South Florida), EverForecast...
Haider, Saira M.; Romañach, Stephanie S.; McKelvy, Mark; Suir, Kevin J.; Pearlstine, LeonardAttribution: Wetland and Aquatic Research Center, Ecosystems, Region 2: South Atlantic-Gulf (Includes Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands), Region 4: Mississippi Basin
View Citation
Haider, S.M., Romañach, S.S., McKelvy, M., Suir, K., and Pearlstine, L., EverForecast—A near-term forecasting application for ecological decision support: U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 2021–3005, 2 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/fs20213005.
Year Published: 2021
Joint species distribution models of Everglades wading birds to inform restoration planning
Restoration of the Florida Everglades, a substantial wetland ecosystem within the United States, is one of the largest ongoing restoration projects in the world. Decision-makers and managers within the Everglades ecosystem rely on ecological models forecasting indicator wildlife response to changes in the management of water flows within the...
D'Acunto, Laura; Pearlstine, Leonard G.; Romanach, Stephanie
Year Published: 2021
Small mammal responses to wetland restoration in the Greater Everglades ecosystem
Wetlands have experienced dramatic losses in extent around the world, disrupting ecosystem function, habitat, and biodiversity. In Florida’s Greater Everglades, a massive restoration effort costing billions of dollars and spanning multiple decades is underway. As Everglades restoration is implemented in incremental projects, scientists and...
Romanach, Stephanie; D'Acunto, Laura; Chapman, Julia; Hanson, Matthew R
Year Published: 2020
Preserving connectivity under climate and land-use change: No one-size-fits-all approach for focal species in similar habitats
Habitat connectivity is essential for maintaining populations of wildlife species, especially as climate changes. Knowledge about the fate of existing habitat networks in a changing climate and in light of land-use change is critical for determining which types of conservation actions must be taken to maintain those networks. However, information...
Costanza, Jennifer K.; Watling, James I.; Sutherland, Ron; Belyea, Curtis; Dilkina, Bistra; Cayton, Heather; Bucklin, David N.; Romanach, Stephanie; Haddad, Nick M.
Year Published: 2020
Near-term spatial hydrologic forecasting in Everglades, USA for landscape planning and ecological forecasting
Operational ecological forecasting is an emerging field that leverages ecological models in a new, cross-disciplinary way – using a real-time or nearly real-time climate forecast to project near-term ecosystem states. These applications give decision-makers lead time to anticipate and manage state changes that degrade ecosystem functions or...
Pearlstine, Leonard G.; Beerens, James M.; Reynolds, Gregg; Haider, Saira; McKelvy, Mark; Suir, Kevin; Romanach, Stephanie; Nestler, Jennifer H.
Year Published: 2020
Joint seasonality in geographic and ecological spaces, illustrated with a partially migratory bird
As most species live in seasonal environments, considering varying conditions is essential to understand species dynamics in both geographic and ecological spaces. Both resident and migratory species need to contend with seasonality and balance settling in favorable areas with tracking favorable environmental conditions during the year. We present...
Basille, Mathieu; Watling, James I.; Romanach, Stephanie; Borkhataria, Rena R.
Year Published: 2020
Potential impacts of future urbanization and sea level rise on Florida’s natural resources
As urban development continues to encroach into natural systems, these ecosystems experience increasing degradation to their form and function. Losses in biodiversity and ecosystem function are further compounded by changing climatic conditions. The State of Florida is known for its biodiversity but has experienced declines in species populations...
Romanach, Stephanie; Benscoter, Allison; Haider, Saira
Year Published: 2020
Coastal marsh bird habitat selection and responses to Hurricane Sandy
Wetlands provide numerous ecosystem functions such as water purification, nutrient cycling, and wildlife habitat. Avian populations are indicators of wetland health, and understanding their responses to extreme events can aid in targeting restoration efforts following disturbance. Here, we assessed the habitat selection of six coastal wetland bird...
Benscoter, Allison; Beerens, James; Romanach, Stephanie
Year Published: 2019
Targeting wildlife crime interventions through geographic profiling
Seeing an animal hanging lifelessly from a snare is a heart-wrenching experience. Knowing that most animals caught in snares are left to rot without being used for meat or any other purpose might be worse. Over an eight-year period, 2001–2009, we recorded 10,231 incidents of illegal hunting in a wildlife conservation area in southeastern Zimbabwe...
Romanach, Stephanie; Faulkner, Sally C.; Stevens, Michael C.A.; Lindsey, Peter A.; Le Comber, Steven C.
Year Published: 2019
Fire disturbance influences endangered Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow (Ammopiza maritima mirabilis) relative bird count
Periodicity of fire disturbance is a known driver of ecosystem function and is reported as important in both promoting and maintaining viable breeding habitat for the endangered Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow (Ammospiza maritima mirabilis; CSSS). In south Florida, the CSSS serves as a fine‐scale indicator of the marl and mixed‐marl prairie communities...
Benscoter, Allison; Beerens, James (Contractor); Pearlstine, Leonard G.; Romanach, Stephanie
Year Published: 2019
A multi-indicator spatial similarity approach for evaluating ecological restoration scenarios
ContextThe greater Everglades region in Florida (USA) is an area of wetlands that has been altered and reduced to 50% of its original area and faces multiple threats. Spatial landscape analysis can help guide a large and complex ecosystem restoration process, involving billions of dollars and multiple groups of stakeholders.ObjectivesTo guide...
Wiederholt, Ruscena; Paudel, Rajendara; Khare, Yogesh; Davis, Stephen E.; Naja, G.M.; Romanach, Stephanie; Pearlstine, L.; Van Lent, ThomasPre-USGS Publications
Romañach, S.S., Lindsey, P.A. and Woodroffe, R., 2010. Attitudes toward predators and options for their conservation in the Ewaso Ecosystem. A Chronology of Middle Missouri Plains Village Sites, 85.
Lindsey, Peter Andrew, S. S. Romanach, S. Matema, C. Matema, I. Mupamhadzi, and J. Muvengwi. "Dynamics and underlying causes of illegal bushmeat trade in Zimbabwe." Oryx 45, no. 01 (2011): 84-95.
Lindsey, Peter Andrew, S. S. Romanach, Craig J. Tambling, K. Chartier, and R. Groom. "Ecological and financial impacts of illegal bushmeat trade in Zimbabwe." Oryx 45, no. 01 (2011): 96-111.
Lindsey, P. A., S. S. Romanach, and H. T. Davies‐Mostert. "The importance of conservancies for enhancing the value of game ranch land for large mammal conservation in southern Africa." Journal of Zoology 277, no. 2 (2009): 99-105.
Lindsey, P., Romanach, S., Romanach, S.S. and Davies-Mostert, H., 2009. A synthesis of early indicators of the drivers of predator conservation on private lands in south africa. Anonymous Reintroduction of Top-Order Predators.: Wiley-Blackwell, pp.321-344.
Lindsey, P.A., du Toit, R., Pole, A. and Romañach, S., 2008. Savé Valley Conservancy: a large-scale African experiment in cooperative wildlife management. Evolution and innovation in wildlife conservation: parks and game ranches to transfrontier conservation areas, pp.163-184.
Romañach, S.S. and Lindsey, P.A., 2008. Conservation implications of prey responses to wild dogs Lycaon pictus during the denning season on wildlife ranches. Animal conservation, 11(2), pp.111-117.
Romanach, S.S., Lindsey, P.A. and Woodroffe, R., 2007. Determinants of attitudes towards predators in central Kenya and suggestions for increasing tolerance in livestock dominated landscapes. Oryx, 41(02), pp.185-195.
Romanach, S.S., Seabloom, E.W. and Reichman, O.J., 2007. Costs and benefits of pocket gopher foraging: Linking behavior and physiology. Ecology, 88(8), pp.2047-2057.
Georgiadis, N.J., Olwero, J.N. and Romañach, S.S., 2007. Savanna herbivore dynamics in a livestock-dominated landscape: I. Dependence on land use, rainfall, density, and time. Biological conservation, 137(3), pp.461-472.
Georgiadis, N.J., Ihwagi, F., Olwero, J.N. and Romañach, S.S., 2007. Savanna herbivore dynamics in a livestock-dominated landscape. II: Ecological, conservation, and management implications of predator restoration. Biological Conservation, 137(3), pp.473-483.
Economic and conservation significance of the trophy hunting industry in sub-Saharan Africa
Lindsey, P.A., Roulet, P.A. and Romanach, S.S., 2007. Economic and conservation significance of the trophy hunting industry in sub-Saharan Africa. Biological conservation, 134(4), pp.455-469.