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Jepsen JU, Arneberg P, Ims RA, Siwertsson A, Yoccoz NG, Fauchald P, Pedersen ÅØ, van der Meeren GI, von Quillfeldt CH. Panel-based assessment of ecosystem condition as a platform for adaptive and knowledge driven management. ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2024:10.1007/s00267-024-02042-9. [PMID: 39271533 DOI: 10.1007/s00267-024-02042-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2023] [Accepted: 09/01/2024] [Indexed: 09/15/2024]
Abstract
Ecosystems are subjected to increasing exposure to multiple anthropogenic drivers. This has led to the development of national and international accounting systems describing the condition of ecosystems, often based on few, highly aggregated indicators. Such accounting systems would benefit from a stronger theoretical and empirical underpinning of ecosystem dynamics. Operational tools for ecosystem management require understanding of natural ecosystem dynamics, consideration of uncertainty at all levels, means for quantifying driver-response relationships behind observed and anticipated future trajectories of change, and an efficient and transparent synthesis to inform knowledge-driven decision processes. There is hence a gap between highly aggregated indicator-based accounting tools and the need for explicit understanding and assessment of the links between multiple drivers and ecosystem condition as a foundation for informed and adaptive ecosystem management. We describe here an approach termed PAEC (Panel-based Assessment of Ecosystem Condition) for combining quantitative and qualitative elements of evidence and uncertainties into an integrated assessment of ecosystem condition at spatial scales relevant to management and monitoring. The PAEC protocol is founded on explicit predictions, termed phenomena, of how components of ecosystem structure and functions are changing as a result of acting drivers. The protocol tests these predictions with observations and combines these tests to assess the change in the condition of the ecosystem as a whole. PAEC includes explicit, quantitative or qualitative, assessments of uncertainty at different levels and integrates these in the final assessment. As proofs-of-concept we summarize the application of the PAEC protocol to a marine and a terrestrial ecosystem in Norway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jane U Jepsen
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Department of Arctic Ecology, Fram Centre, 9296, Tromsø, Norway.
| | - Per Arneberg
- Institute of Marine Research, Department of Ecosystem Processes, Fram Centre, 9296, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Rolf A Ims
- UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Department of Arctic and Marine Biology, 9037, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Anna Siwertsson
- Institute of Marine Research, Department of Ecosystem Processes, Fram Centre, 9296, Tromsø, Norway
- Akvaplan-niva, Fram Centre, 9296, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Nigel G Yoccoz
- UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Department of Arctic and Marine Biology, 9037, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Per Fauchald
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Department of Arctic Ecology, Fram Centre, 9296, Tromsø, Norway
| | | | - Gro I van der Meeren
- Institute of Marine Research, Department of Ecosystem Processes, 5392, Storebø, Norway
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2
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Cravens AE, Clifford KR, Knapp C, Travis WR. The dynamic feasibility of resisting (R), accepting (A), or directing (D) ecological change. CONSERVATION BIOLOGY : THE JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR CONSERVATION BIOLOGY 2024:e14331. [PMID: 39016709 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.14331] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2023] [Revised: 05/09/2024] [Accepted: 05/13/2024] [Indexed: 07/18/2024]
Abstract
Ecological transformations are occurring as a result of climate change, challenging traditional approaches to land management decision-making. The resist-accept-direct (RAD) framework helps managers consider how to respond to this challenge. We examined how the feasibility of the choices to resist, accept, and direct shifts in complex and dynamic ways through time. We considered 4 distinct types of social feasibility: regulatory, financial, public, and organizational. Our commentary is grounded in literature review and the examples that exist but necessarily has speculative elements because empirical evidence on this newly emerging management strategy is scarce. We expect that resist strategies will become less feasible over time as managers encounter situations where resisting is ecologically, by regulation, financially, or publicly not feasible. Similarly, we expect that as regulatory frameworks increasingly permit their use, if costs decrease, and if the public accepts them, managers will increasingly view accept and direct strategies as more viable options than they do at present. Exploring multiple types of feasibility over time allows consideration of both social and ecological trajectories of change in tandem. Our theorizing suggested that deepening the time horizon of decision-making allows one to think carefully about when one should adopt different approaches and how to combine them over time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda E Cravens
- Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, U.S. Geological Survey, Corvallis, Oregon, USA
| | - Katherine R Clifford
- Western Water Assessment, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado, USA
| | - Corrine Knapp
- Haub School of Environment & Natural Resources, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming, USA
| | - William R Travis
- Department of Geography and North Central Climate Adaptation Science Center, Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Science, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado, USA
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Reyes de Merkle J, Creel S, Becker MS, Goodheart B, Mweetwa T, Mwape H, Dröge E, Simpamba T. Long-term data reveal fitness costs of anthropogenic prey depletion for a subordinate competitor, the African wild dog ( Lycaon pictus). Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e11402. [PMID: 38932965 PMCID: PMC11199200 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.11402] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2024] [Revised: 04/21/2024] [Accepted: 04/26/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Within carnivore guilds, dominant competitors (e.g., lions, Panthera leo) are limited primarily by the density of prey, while subordinate competitors (e.g., African wild dogs, Lycaon pictus) have been limited by the density of dominant competitors. Historically, the fitness and population density of subordinate competitors have not been tightly linked to prey density. However, populations of large herbivores have declined substantially across sub-Saharan Africa due to human impacts, and where prey depletion is severe, fitness costs for competitive subordinates may begin to outweigh the benefits of competitive release. Using long-term intensive monitoring of African wild dogs in Zambia's Luangwa Valley Ecosystem (LVE), we tested the effects of prey depletion on survival and reproduction. We hypothesized that African wild dog fitness would be lower in prey-depleted areas, despite lower lion densities. Our study area included four contiguous regions that varied in protection level, prey density, and lion density. We fit Bayesian Cormack-Jolly-Seber and closed-capture models to estimate effects on survival and population density, and generalized linear models to estimate effects on reproductive success. We found that the LVE is a stronghold for African wild dogs, with an estimated median density of 4.0 individuals/100 km2. Despite this high density, survival and reproduction differed among regions, and both components of fitness were substantially reduced in the region with the lowest prey density. Anthropogenic prey depletion is becoming an important limiting factor for African wild dogs. If prey depletion (or any other form of habitat degradation) becomes severe enough that its fitness costs outweigh the benefits of competitive release, such changes can fundamentally alter the balance between limiting factors for competitively subordinate species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johnathan Reyes de Merkle
- Zambian Carnivore ProgrammeMfuweEastern ProvinceZambia
- Department of EcologyMontana State UniversityBozemanMontanaUSA
| | - Scott Creel
- Zambian Carnivore ProgrammeMfuweEastern ProvinceZambia
- Department of EcologyMontana State UniversityBozemanMontanaUSA
- Institutionen för Vilt, Fisk Och Miljö, Sveriges LantbruksuniversitetUmeåSweden
| | - Matthew S. Becker
- Zambian Carnivore ProgrammeMfuweEastern ProvinceZambia
- Department of EcologyMontana State UniversityBozemanMontanaUSA
| | - Ben Goodheart
- Zambian Carnivore ProgrammeMfuweEastern ProvinceZambia
- Department of EcologyMontana State UniversityBozemanMontanaUSA
| | | | - Henry Mwape
- Zambian Carnivore ProgrammeMfuweEastern ProvinceZambia
| | - Egil Dröge
- Zambian Carnivore ProgrammeMfuweEastern ProvinceZambia
- Wildlife Conservation Research UnitOxford UniversityOxfordUK
| | - Twakundine Simpamba
- Department of National Parks and Wildlife, South Luangwa Area Management UnitMfuweEastern ProvinceZambia
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4
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Siegel KJ, Cavanaugh KC, Dee LE. Balancing multiple management objectives as climate change transforms ecosystems. Trends Ecol Evol 2024; 39:381-395. [PMID: 38052686 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2023.11.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2023] [Revised: 10/30/2023] [Accepted: 11/09/2023] [Indexed: 12/07/2023]
Abstract
As climate change facilitates significant and persistent ecological transformations, managing ecosystems according to historical baseline conditions may no longer be feasible. The Resist-Accept-Direct (RAD) framework can guide climate-informed management interventions, but in its current implementations RAD has not yet fully accounted for potential tradeoffs between multiple - sometimes incompatible - ecological and societal goals. Key scientific challenges for informing climate-adapted ecosystem management include (i) advancing our predictive understanding of transformations and their socioecological impacts under novel climate conditions, and (ii) incorporating uncertainty around trajectories of ecological change and the potential success of RAD interventions into management decisions. To promote the implementation of RAD, practitioners can account for diverse objectives within just and equitable participatory decision-making processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine J Siegel
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA; Cooperative Programs for the Advancement of Earth System Science, University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO, USA.
| | - Kyle C Cavanaugh
- Department of Geography, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Laura E Dee
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
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5
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Noel AR, Shriver RK, Crausbay SD, Bradford JB. Where can managers effectively resist climate-driven ecological transformation in pinyon-juniper woodlands of the US Southwest? GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2023; 29:4327-4341. [PMID: 37246831 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16756] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2022] [Revised: 04/25/2023] [Accepted: 04/26/2023] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
Pinyon-juniper (PJ) woodlands are an important component of dryland ecosystems across the US West and are potentially susceptible to ecological transformation. However, predicting woodland futures is complicated by species-specific strategies for persisting and reproducing under drought conditions, uncertainty in future climate, and limitations to inferring demographic rates from forest inventory data. Here, we leverage new demographic models to quantify how climate change is expected to alter population demographics in five PJ tree species in the US West and place our results in the context of a climate adaptation framework to resist, accept, or direct ecological transformation. Two of five study species, Pinus edulis and Juniperus monosperma, are projected to experience population declines, driven by both rising mortality and decreasing recruitment rates. These declines are reasonably consistent across various climate futures, and the magnitude of uncertainty in population growth due to future climate is less than uncertainty due to how demographic rates will respond to changing climate. We assess the effectiveness of management to reduce tree density and mitigate competition, and use the results to classify southwest woodlands into areas where transformation is (a) unlikely and can be passively resisted, (b) likely but may be resisted by active management, and (c) likely unavoidable, requiring managers to accept or direct the trajectory. Population declines are projected to promote ecological transformation in the warmer and drier PJ communities of the southwest, encompassing 37.1%-81.1% of our sites, depending on future climate scenarios. Less than 20% of sites expected to transform away from PJ have potential to retain existing tree composition by density reduction. Our results inform where this adaptation strategy could successfully resist ecological transformation in coming decades and allow for a portfolio design approach across the geographic range of PJ woodlands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam R Noel
- US Geological Survey, Southwest Biological Science Center, Flagstaff, Arizona, USA
- Center for Adaptable Western Landscapes, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona, USA
| | - Robert K Shriver
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, University of Nevada-Reno, Reno, Nevada, USA
| | | | - John B Bradford
- US Geological Survey, Southwest Biological Science Center, Flagstaff, Arizona, USA
- Center for Adaptable Western Landscapes, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona, USA
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6
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Cooke SJ, Fulton EA, Sauer WHH, Lynch AJ, Link JS, Koning AA, Jena J, Silva LGM, King AJ, Kelly R, Osborne M, Nakamura J, Preece AL, Hagiwara A, Forsberg K, Kellner JB, Coscia I, Helyar S, Barange M, Nyboer E, Williams MJ, Chuenpagdee R, Begg GA, Gillanders BM. Towards vibrant fish populations and sustainable fisheries that benefit all: learning from the last 30 years to inform the next 30 years. REVIEWS IN FISH BIOLOGY AND FISHERIES 2023; 33:317-347. [PMID: 37122954 PMCID: PMC9985478 DOI: 10.1007/s11160-023-09765-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2022] [Accepted: 02/07/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
A common goal among fisheries science professionals, stakeholders, and rights holders is to ensure the persistence and resilience of vibrant fish populations and sustainable, equitable fisheries in diverse aquatic ecosystems, from small headwater streams to offshore pelagic waters. Achieving this goal requires a complex intersection of science and management, and a recognition of the interconnections among people, place, and fish that govern these tightly coupled socioecological and sociotechnical systems. The World Fisheries Congress (WFC) convenes every four years and provides a unique global forum to debate and discuss threats, issues, and opportunities facing fish populations and fisheries. The 2021 WFC meeting, hosted remotely in Adelaide, Australia, marked the 30th year since the first meeting was held in Athens, Greece, and provided an opportunity to reflect on progress made in the past 30 years and provide guidance for the future. We assembled a diverse team of individuals involved with the Adelaide WFC and reflected on the major challenges that faced fish and fisheries over the past 30 years, discussed progress toward overcoming those challenges, and then used themes that emerged during the Congress to identify issues and opportunities to improve sustainability in the world's fisheries for the next 30 years. Key future needs and opportunities identified include: rethinking fisheries management systems and modelling approaches, modernizing and integrating assessment and information systems, being responsive and flexible in addressing persistent and emerging threats to fish and fisheries, mainstreaming the human dimension of fisheries, rethinking governance, policy and compliance, and achieving equity and inclusion in fisheries. We also identified a number of cross-cutting themes including better understanding the role of fish as nutrition in a hungry world, adapting to climate change, embracing transdisciplinarity, respecting Indigenous knowledge systems, thinking ahead with foresight science, and working together across scales. By reflecting on the past and thinking about the future, we aim to provide guidance for achieving our mutual goal of sustaining vibrant fish populations and sustainable fisheries that benefit all. We hope that this prospective thinking can serve as a guide to (i) assess progress towards achieving this lofty goal and (ii) refine our path with input from new and emerging voices and approaches in fisheries science, management, and stewardship.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven J. Cooke
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology and Institute of Environmental and Interdisciplinary Science, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Dr., Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6 Canada
| | - Elizabeth A. Fulton
- CSIRO Environment, Hobart, 7001 TAS Australia
- Centre for Marine Socioecology, University of Tasmania, Hobart, 7001 TAS Australia
| | - Warwick H. H. Sauer
- Department of Ichthyology and Fisheries Science, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa
| | - Abigail J. Lynch
- National Climate Adaptation Science Center, U.S. Geological Survey, 12201 Sunrise Valley Drive, Reston, VA 20192 USA
| | - Jason S. Link
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service, Woods Hole, MA USA
| | - Aaron A. Koning
- Global Water Center, University of Nevada-Reno, Reno, NV USA
| | - Joykrushna Jena
- Indian Council of Agricultural Research, Krishi Anusandhan Bhawan-II, Pusa, New Delhi, 110012 India
| | - Luiz G. M. Silva
- Institute of Environmental Engineering, ETH-Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Alison J. King
- Centre for Freshwater Ecosystems, La Trobe University, Wodonga, 3690 Vic Australia
| | - Rachel Kelly
- Centre for Marine Socioecology, University of Tasmania, Hobart, 7001 TAS Australia
| | - Matthew Osborne
- Department of Industry, Tourism and Trade, Northern Territory Government, Darwin, 0800 NT Australia
| | - Julia Nakamura
- Strathclyde Centre for Environmental Law and Governance, University of Strathclyde Law School, Glasgow, UK
| | | | - Atsushi Hagiwara
- Graduate School of Fisheries and Environmental Sciences, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, 852-8521 Japan
| | | | - Julie B. Kellner
- Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, Falmouth, MA 02453 USA
- International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, 1553 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Ilaria Coscia
- School of Science, Engineering and Environment, University of Salford, Salford, M5 4WT UK
| | - Sarah Helyar
- School of Biological Sciences/Institute for Global Food Security, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast, UK
| | - Manuel Barange
- Fisheries and Aquaculture Division, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Viale Delle Terme Di Caracalla S/N, 00153 Rome, Italy
| | - Elizabeth Nyboer
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology and Institute of Environmental and Interdisciplinary Science, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Dr., Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6 Canada
| | | | - Ratana Chuenpagdee
- Department of Geography, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, NFLD Canada
| | - Gavin A. Begg
- Department of Primary Industries and Regions, PO Box 120, Henley Beach, 5022 SA Australia
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Crist MR. Rethinking the focus on forest fires in federal wildland fire management: Landscape patterns and trends of non-forest and forest burned area. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2023; 327:116718. [PMID: 36565577 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.116718] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2022] [Revised: 10/11/2022] [Accepted: 11/04/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
For most of the 20th century and beyond, national wildland fire policies concerning fire suppression and fuels management have primarily focused on forested lands. Using summary statistics and landscape metrics, wildfire spatial patterns and trends for non-forest and forest burned area over the past two decades were examined across the U.S, and federal agency jurisdictions. This study found that wildfires burned more area of non-forest lands than forest lands at the scale of the conterminous and western U.S. and the Department of Interior (DOI). In an agency comparison, 74% of DOI burned area occurred on non-forest lands and 78% of U.S. Forest Service burned area occurred on forested lands. Landscape metrics revealed key differences between forest and non-forest fire patterns and trends in total burned area, burned patch size, distribution, and aggregation over time across the western U.S. Opposite fire patterns emerged between non-forest and forest burns when analyzed at the scale of federal agency jurisdictions. In addition, a fire regime departure analysis comparing current large fire probability with historic fire trends identified certain vegetation types and locations experiencing more fire than historically. These patterns were especially pronounced for cold desert shrublands, such as sagebrush where increases in annual area burned, and fire frequency, size, and juxtaposition have resulted in substantial losses over a twenty-year period. The emerging non-forest fire patterns are primarily due to the rapid expansion of non-native invasive grasses that increase fuel connectivity and fire spread. These invasions promote uncharacteristic frequent fire and loss of native ecosystems at large-scales, accelerating the need to place greater focus on managing invasive species in wildland fire management. Results can be used to inform wildfire management and policy aimed at reducing uncharacteristic wildfire processes and patterns for both non-forest and forest ecosystems as well as identify differing management strategies needed to address the unique wildfire issues each federal agency faces.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michele R Crist
- Landscape Ecologist, U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, Fire and Aviation Directorate, Boise, ID, 83705, USA.
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8
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Harris NC, Murphy A, Green AR, Gámez S, Mwamidi DM, Nunez-Mir GC. Socio-ecological gap analysis to forecast species range contractions for conservation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 120:e2201942119. [PMID: 36165442 PMCID: PMC9962987 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2201942119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2022] [Accepted: 06/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Conservation requires both a needs assessment and prioritization scheme for planning and implementation. Range maps are critical for understanding and conserving biodiversity, but current range maps often omit content, negating important metrics of variation in populations and places. Here, we integrate a myriad of conditions that are spatially explicit across distributions of carnivores to identify gaps in capacity necessary for their conservation. Expanding on traditional gap analyses that focus almost exclusively on quantifying discordance in protected area coverage across a species' range, our work aggregates threat layers (e.g., drought, human pressures) with resources layers (e.g., protected areas, cultural diversity) to identify gaps in available conservation capacity (ACC) across ranges for 91 African carnivores. Our model indicated that all species have some portion of their range at risk of contraction, with an average of 15 percentage range loss. We found that the ACC differed based on body size and taxonomy. Results deviated from current perceptions of extinction risks for species with an International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) threat status of Least Concern and yielded insights for species categorized as Data Deficient. Our socio-ecological gap analysis presents a geospatial approach to inform decision-making and resource allocation in conservation. Ultimately, our work advances forecasting dynamics of species' ranges that are increasingly vital in an era of great socio-ecological change to mitigate human-wildlife conflict and promote inclusive carnivore conservation across geographies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nyeema C. Harris
- Applied Wildlife Ecology Lab, Yale School of the Environment, Yale University, New Haven, CT06511
| | - Asia Murphy
- Department of Environmental Studies, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA95064
| | - Aalayna R. Green
- Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY14853
| | - Siria Gámez
- Applied Wildlife Ecology Lab, Yale School of the Environment, Yale University, New Haven, CT06511
| | - Daniel M. Mwamidi
- Laboratory for Analysis of Socio-ecological Systems in a Global World, Institute of Environmental Science and Technology, Autonomous University of Barcelona, 08193 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Gabriela C. Nunez-Mir
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL60607
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9
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Gude JA, DeCesare NJ, Proffitt KM, Sells SN, Garrott RA, Rangwala I, Biel M, Coltrane J, Cunningham J, Fletcher T, Loveless K, Mowry R, O'Reilly M, Rauscher R, Thompson M. Demographic uncertainty and disease risk influence climate‐informed management of an alpine species. J Wildl Manage 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/jwmg.22300] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Justin A. Gude
- Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks 1420 East 6th Avenue Helena MT 59620 USA
| | | | - Kelly M. Proffitt
- Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks 1400 South 19th Street Bozeman MT 59718 USA
| | - Sarah N. Sells
- Montana Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit, Wildlife Biology Program, 205 Natural Sciences Building, University of Montana Missoula MT 59812 USA
| | - Robert A. Garrott
- Department of Ecology Fish and Wildlife Ecology and Management Program, Montana State University, 310 Lewis Hall Bozeman MT 59718 USA
| | - Imtiaz Rangwala
- North Central Climate Adaptation Science Center & Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado‐Boulder 4001 Discovery Drive, Suite S340 Boulder CO 80303 USA
| | - Mark Biel
- Glacier National Park P.O. Box 128 West Glacier MT 59936 USA
| | - Jessica Coltrane
- Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks 490 North Meridian Road Kalispell MT 59920 USA
| | - Julie Cunningham
- Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks 1400 South 19th Street Bozeman MT 59718 USA
| | - Tammy Fletcher
- U.S. Forest Service, Northern Region Missoula MT 59804 USA
| | - Karen Loveless
- Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks 538 Orea Creek Livingston MT 59047 USA
| | - Rebecca Mowry
- Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks 3201 Spurgin Road Missoula MT 59804 USA
| | - Megan O'Reilly
- Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks 2300 Lake Elmo Drive Billings MT 59105 USA
| | - Ryan Rauscher
- Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks 514 South Front Street, Suite C Conrad MT 59425 USA
| | - Michael Thompson
- Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks 3201 Spurgin Road Missoula MT 59804 USA
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Bouska KL, De Jager NR, Houser JN. Resisting-Accepting-Directing: Ecosystem Management Guided by an Ecological Resilience Assessment. ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2022; 70:381-400. [PMID: 35661235 DOI: 10.1007/s00267-022-01667-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2021] [Accepted: 05/09/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
As anthropogenic influences push ecosystems past tipping points and into new regimes, complex management decisions are complicated by rapid ecosystem changes that may be difficult to reverse. For managers who grapple with how to manage ecosystems under novel conditions and heightened uncertainty, advancing our understanding of regime shifts is paramount. As part of an ecological resilience assessment, researchers and managers have collaborated to identify alternate regimes and build an understanding of the thresholds and factors that govern regime shifts in the Upper Mississippi River System. To describe the management implications of our assessment, we integrate our findings with the recently developed resist-accept-direct (RAD) framework that explicitly acknowledges ecosystem regime change and outlines management approaches of resisting change, accepting change, or directing change. More specifically, we developed guidance for using knowledge of desirability of current conditions, distance to thresholds, and general resilience (that is, an ecosystem's capacity to cope with uncertain disturbances) to navigate the RAD framework. We applied this guidance to outline strategies that resist, accept, or direct change in the context of management of aquatic vegetation, floodplain vegetation, and fish communities across nearly 2000 river kilometers. We provide a case study for how knowledge of ecological dynamics can aid in assessing which management approach(es) are likely to be most ecologically feasible in a changing world. Continued learning from management decisions will be critical to advance our understanding of how ecosystems respond and inform the management of ecosystems for desirable and resilient outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristen L Bouska
- U.S. Geological Survey, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, 2630 Fanta Reed Road, La Crosse, WI, 54603, USA.
| | - Nathan R De Jager
- U.S. Geological Survey, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, 2630 Fanta Reed Road, La Crosse, WI, 54603, USA
| | - Jeffrey N Houser
- U.S. Geological Survey, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, 2630 Fanta Reed Road, La Crosse, WI, 54603, USA
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11
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Smith SL, Cook S, Golden A, Iwane MA, Kleiber D, Leong KM, Mastitski A, Richmond L, Szymkowiak M, Wise S. Review of adaptations of U.S. Commercial Fisheries in response to the COVID-19 pandemic using the Resist- Accept- Direct (RAD) framework. FISHERIES MANAGEMENT AND ECOLOGY 2022; 29:439-455. [PMID: 35942481 PMCID: PMC9348349 DOI: 10.1111/fme.12567] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2021] [Revised: 04/23/2022] [Accepted: 05/06/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic transformed social and economic systems globally, including fisheries systems. Decreases in seafood demand, supply chain disruptions, and public safety regulations required numerous adaptations to maintain the livelihoods and social resilience of fishing communities. Surveys, interviews, and focus groups were undertaken to assess impacts from and adaptive responses to the pandemic in commercial fisheries in five U.S. regions: the Northeast, California, Alaska, the U.S. Caribbean, and the Pacific Islands. Fishery adaptation strategies were categorized using the Resist-Accept-Direct (RAD) framework, a novel application to understand social transformation in a social-ecological system in response to a disturbance. A number of innovations emerged, or were facilitated, that could improve the fisheries' resilience to future disruptions. Fishers with diversified options and strategic flexibility generally fared better, i.e., had fewer disruptions to their livelihoods. Using the RAD framework to identify adaptation strategies from fishery system actors highlights opportunities for improving resilience of fisheries social-ecological systems to future stressors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Lindley Smith
- School of Environmental and Biological SciencesRutgers UniversityNew BrunswickNew JerseyUSA
| | - Samantha Cook
- Department of Environmental Science and ManagementHumboldt State UniversityArcataCaliforniaUSA
| | - Abigail Golden
- School of Environmental and Biological SciencesRutgers UniversityNew BrunswickNew JerseyUSA
- Abigail Golden, School of Aquatic and Fishery ScienceUniversity of WashingtonSeattleWashingtonUSA
| | - Mia Aiko Iwane
- Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric ResearchHonoluluHawaiiUSA
- NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science CenterHonoluluHawaiiUSA
| | - Danika Kleiber
- NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science CenterHonoluluHawaiiUSA
| | | | | | - Laurie Richmond
- Department of Environmental Science and ManagementHumboldt State UniversityArcataCaliforniaUSA
| | | | - Sarah Wise
- NOAA Alaska Fisheries Science CenterSeattleWashingtonUSA
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Bottom-up versus top-down megafauna-vegetation interactions in ancient Beringia. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:2121734119. [PMID: 35082158 PMCID: PMC8812515 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2121734119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
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