SAGEBRUSH
CONSERVATION GATEWAY

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Climate Change Amplifies Ongoing Declines of Sagebrush Ecological Integrity
June 13, 2024
A Spatial Prioritization of Conifer Management to Defend and Grow Sagebrush Cores
June 14, 2024

Well-Connected Core Areas Retain Ecological Integrity of Sagebrush Ecosystems Amidst Overall Declines from 2001-2021

Keep Cores Connected to Avoid Isolating Wildlife

Key Findings: Connectivity between intact landscapes is declining across the biome. However, we still have large core areas with high connectivity, and these areas should be priorities for conservation. 

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Authors

David M. Theobald*

Conservation Planning Technologies, Fort Collins, Colorado & Colorado State University, Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, Fort Collins, Colorado

Alexander V. Kumar

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Fort Collins, Colorado

Katherine Zeller

USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Aldo Leopold Wilderness Research Institute, Missoula, Montana

Todd B. Cross

Crosswinds Ecological Consulting, LLC, Hartland, Vermont & Fedy Wildlife and Molecular Ecology Lab, School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

Kevin E. Doherty

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Science Applications, Evergreen, Colorado & USDA Forest Service Research and Development, Missoula, Montana

*Lead Author

Abstract and Keywords

Abstract: Conservation of species’ mobility and ecological integrity is necessary for the productivity of the sagebrush biome in the western United States. Building on the recently developed Sagebrush Conservation Design (SCD) that mapped sagebrush ecological integrity (SEI)—defined as the higher cover of sagebrush and perennial grass and reduced threats due to invasive annual grass, tree encroachment, and human disturbance—we modeled the structural connectivity of sagebrush ecosystems to better incorporate the role of landscape-level processes into assessments of integrity. Because integrity can vary spatially, as well as temporally, we quantified both interannual variability and trends in variability in SEI from 2001–2021. We used the resultant map to identify areas with high structural landscape connectivity (i.e., “well-connected cores”), then determined the coincident core sagebrush areas (CSAs) that represent functioning sagebrush ecosystem with few landscape threats, and growth opportunity areas (GOAs) that represent functioning systems impacted by one or more threats as originally defined and mapped in the SCD. We found that CSAs were located in areas with higher landscape connectivity, and the biome-wide average of SEI declined by 30% from 2001 to 2021, although the structural connectivity biome-wide declined one-third less (by 20%). CSAs located in areas with high connectivity had 25% higher SEI values on average than those with low connectivity, and the trend in declining SEI values was slower. Our datasets of landscape connectivity can be combined with other SCD products to provide a broader ecosystem context—both spatially and temporally. Our results can be used to inform, refine, focus, and prioritize conservation and management efforts to those CSAs and GOAs we identified as particularly well connected and which may be more resilient to recently altered dynamics and declines—those that will serve to anchor efforts to conserve the sagebrush biome in light of changing land use and climate.

Keywords: Sagebrush ecosystem; Structural connectivity; Landscape dynamics; Conservation planning

 

 

Citation

David M. Theobald, Alexander V. Kumar, Kevin Doherty, Katherine A. Zeller, Todd B. Cross, "Well-Connected Core Areas Retain Ecological Integrity of Sagebrush Ecosystems Amidst Overall Declines From 2001–2021," Rangeland Ecology & Management, Volume 97, 2024, Pages 41-50, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rama.2024.08.020

Related Resources

2024 Researcher Presentation

Watch Alexander V. Kumar's (article coauthor) presentation about this article from the Sagebrush Conservation Design Symposia at the 2024 Society for Range Management conference.

Article Contributor Affiliations

Recommended Articles

If you’re a manager focused on increasing connectivity in your state, the first thing I would suggest you do is get on the phone and call your neighboring states. And that’s because areas of high connectivity typically span the boundaries of more than one state. So, if you’re working on your half of the connectivity area, you want to be sure your neighbors are doing the same.

- Alexander V. Kumar (coauthor)

Explore the Research

The special issue of Rangeland Ecology & Management is broken into six themes outlined below. Each theme includes several articles. Navigate through the articles using the layout below by hovering and clicking on the dots at the bottom of each block (each dot is linked to an article that falls within that theme). A complete list of the articles (with links) is also included on the Explore the Research page.

START HERE: THE STATE OF THE SAGEBRUSH

THEME 1
Business-As-Usual Won’t Work to Save the Sagebrush Sea

THEME 2
Better Spatial Targeting Can Improve Outcomes

THEME 3
Conservation Planning is Needed to Develop Realistic Business Plans

THEME 4
Targeted Ecosystem Management: Monitoring Shows Managing for Sagebrush Ecological Integrity is Working

THEME 5
Maintaining Sagebrush Ecological Integrity is Ecologically Relevant

THEME 6
There is Only Hope if We Manage Change

The State of the Sagebrush: Implementing the Sagebrush Conservation Design to Save a Biome
Closing the Conservation Gap in the Sagebrush Biome: Spatial Targeting and Exceptional Coordination are Needed for Conservation Efforts to Keep Pace with Ecosystem Losses
Climate Change Amplifies Ongoing Declines of Sagebrush Ecological Integrity
Well-connected Core Areas Retain Ecological Integrity of Sagebrush Ecosystems Amidst Overall Declines from 2001-2021
A Spatial Prioritization of Conifer Management to Defend and Grow Sagebrush Cores
A Strategic and Science-based Framework for Management of Invasive Annual Grasses in the Sagebrush Biome
Modeling Cropland Conversion Risk to Scale-up Averted Loss of Core Sagebrush Rangelands
Will It Burn? Characterizing Wildfire Risk for the Sagebrush Conservation Design
An Assessment of Conservation Opportunities within Sagebrush Ecosystems of U.S. National Parks and Wildlife Refuges
An Interactive Tool to Promote Stepping Down the Sagebrush Conservation Design to Local Conservation Planning
From a Bird to a Biome: Do Sage Grouse Initiative Efforts Contribute to Conservation of the Sagebrush Ecosystem?
Using Satellite Remote Sensing to Assess Shrubland Vegetation Responses to Largescale Juniper Removal in the Northern Great Basin
Cooperative Conservation Actions Improve Sage-Grouse Population Performance within the Bi-State Distinct Population Segment
Evaluating the Sagebrush Conservation Design Strategy through the Performance of a Sagebrush Indicator Species
Defend and Grow the Core for Birds: How a Sagebrush Conservation Strategy Benefits Rangeland Birds
The Carbon Security Index: A Novel Approach to Assessing How Secure Carbon Is in Sagebrush Ecosystems within the Great Basin
Crossing the Chasm: Using Technical Transfer to Bridge Science Production and Management Action
Assessing Conservation Readiness: The Where, Who, and How of Strategic Conservation in the Sagebrush Biome
Where Do We Go from Here with Sagebrush Conservation: A Long-Term Perspective?
There is No Hope Without Change: A Perspective on How We Conserve the Sagebrush Biome

START HERE: THE STATE OF THE SAGEBRUSH

THEME 1
Business-As-Usual Won’t Work to Save the Sagebrush Sea

THEME 2
Better Spatial Targeting Can Improve Outcomes

THEME 3
Conservation Planning is Needed to Develop Realistic Business Plans

THEME 4
Targeted Ecosystem Management: Monitoring Shows Managing for Sagebrush Ecological Integrity is Working

THEME 5
Maintaining Sagebrush Ecological Integrity is Ecologically Relevant

THEME 6
There is Only Hope if We Manage Change

The State of the Sagebrush: Implementing the Sagebrush Conservation Design to Save a Biome
Closing the Conservation Gap in the Sagebrush Biome: Spatial Targeting and Exceptional Coordination are Needed for Conservation Efforts to Keep Pace with Ecosystem Losses
Climate Change Amplifies Ongoing Declines of Sagebrush Ecological Integrity
Well-connected Core Areas Retain Ecological Integrity of Sagebrush Ecosystems Amidst Overall Declines from 2001-2021
A Spatial Prioritization of Conifer Management to Defend and Grow Sagebrush Cores
A Strategic and Science-based Framework for Management of Invasive Annual Grasses in the Sagebrush Biome
Modeling Cropland Conversion Risk to Scale-up Averted Loss of Core Sagebrush Rangelands
Will It Burn? Characterizing Wildfire Risk for the Sagebrush Conservation Design
An Assessment of Conservation Opportunities within Sagebrush Ecosystems of U.S. National Parks and Wildlife Refuges
An Interactive Tool to Promote Stepping Down the Sagebrush Conservation Design to Local Conservation Planning
From a Bird to a Biome: Do Sage Grouse Initiative Efforts Contribute to Conservation of the Sagebrush Ecosystem?
Using Satellite Remote Sensing to Assess Shrubland Vegetation Responses to Largescale Juniper Removal in the Northern Great Basin
Cooperative Conservation Actions Improve Sage-Grouse Population Performance within the Bi-State Distinct Population Segment
Evaluating the Sagebrush Conservation Design Strategy through the Performance of a Sagebrush Indicator Species
Defend and Grow the Core for Birds: How a Sagebrush Conservation Strategy Benefits Rangeland Birds
The Carbon Security Index: A Novel Approach to Assessing How Secure Carbon Is in Sagebrush Ecosystems within the Great Basin
Crossing the Chasm: Using Technical Transfer to Bridge Science Production and Management Action
Operationalizing Strategic Conservation: A Multi-level Framework to Identify Opportunities and Actions
Where Do We Go from Here with Sagebrush Conservation: A Long-Term Perspective?
There is No Hope Without Change: A Perspective on How We Conserve the Sagebrush Biome