Modeling Cropland Conversion Risk to Scale-Up Averted Loss of Core Sagebrush Rangelands
Easements Save Montana’s Biggest Core from Cultivation
Key Findings: Conservation easements on private lands are crucial for maintaining Core Sagebrush Areas where cropland conversion is a threat. When bordering public lands, conservation easements preserve an area 3.6 times larger than the easements themselves.
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Abstract and Keywords
Abstract: Cropland conversion is anticipated to continue westward from the Great Plains into the sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) biome – the most intact biome remaining in the conterminous United States. However, relatively little is known about the extent and risk of cropland conversion to sagebrush ecosystems and the landscape scale benefits of easements in averting loss of ecological function. Therefore, our goals were to 1) quantify the cropland area of the sagebrush biome, 2) identify where the highest quality sagebrush rangelands are most at risk to future cropland conversion, and 3) estimate the ecological benefits of conservation easements to adjacent public lands. We found that croplands span 14.4 million ha in the sagebrush biome, 16.2 million ha in the historic range of the greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus), and are clustered regionally. Our spatial risk model identified 3.7 million ha of high-quality sagebrush rangelands in need of conservation protections from cropland conversion, with higher risk areas clustered regionally (e.g., Northern Great Plains). Our estimates of previous losses to cropland conversion indicated that roughly 80% of at-risk high-quality sagebrush communities have already been tilled. Spatial data and online maps of our risk model are publicly available as planning tools for prioritizing conservation and restoration actions in support of the Sagebrush Conservation Design framework. Using a case study from north-central Montana, we demonstrated that private land easements are crucial for the preservation of Core Sagebrush Areas (CSAs). These easements were found to indirectly preserve an area of CSAs that is 3.6 times larger than the easements themselves. Notably, a significant portion of this conservation benefit—approximately 80%—occurred on public lands adjacent to the easements. Our findings establish a clear connection between investments in private land conservation and beneficial outcomes on nearby public lands, and that focused, permanent protection efforts can extend ecosystem function beyond easements.
Keywords: Sagebrush; Prioritization; Cropland conversion; Risk model; Conservation easements
Citation
Geoffrey Bedrosian, Kevin E. Doherty, Brian H. Martin, David M. Theobald, Scott L. Morford, Joseph T. Smith, Alexander V. Kumar, Jeffrey S. Evans, Matthew M. Heller, John Patrick Donnelly, John Guinotte, David E. Naugle, "Modeling Cropland Conversion Risk to Scale-Up Averted Loss of Core Sagebrush Rangelands," Rangeland Ecology & Management, Volume 97, 2024, Pages 73-83, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rama.2024.08.011
Related Resources
- "Saving the Core from Cultivation" U.S. Fish and Wildlife post about this paper
- "They Think They're Just Ranching" Ranchers Stewardship Alliance post about producers in northern Montana - the region covered by this research - and how they approach conservation and work with partners to develop conservation easements for their land.
- Live Under the Big Sky podcast featuring Martin Townsend from the Ranchers Stewardship Alliance and David Naugle from Working Lands for Wildlife and the University of Montana discussing this research and conservation easements in north-central Montana where this research was conducted.
- Model results of cropland conversion risk in sagebrush rangelands can be accessed through an online map tool and as downloadable data.
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Sagebrush Conservation Portal
- USDA-NRCS’s Working Lands for Wildlife Framework for Conservation Action in the Sagebrush Biome
- The Nature Conservancy: Places We Protect: Sagebrush Grasslands—High Divide Headwaters, Montana
- Partnering to Conserve Sagebrush Rangelands, Intermountain West Joint Venture (IWJV) and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
2024 Researcher Presentation
Watch Geoffrey Bedrosian’s presentation about this article from the Sagebrush Conservation Design Symposia at the 2024 Society for Range Management conference.
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