Operationalizing resilience and resistance concepts for conservation of sagebrush ecosystems in US national parks
Rodhouse T and Lonneker J. 2020. Operationalizing resilience and resistance concepts for conservation of sagebrush ecosystems in US national parks. Webinar
Western North American sagebrush shrublands and steppe face accelerating risks from fire-driven feedback loops that push these ecosystems into self-reinforcing states dominated by invasive annual grasses. In response, sagebrush conservation decision-making is increasingly done through the lens of resilience to fire and invasion resistance. Operationalizing resilience and resistance concepts requires place-based understanding of resilience and resistance variation across landscapes and over time. This is particularly important for prioritizing conservation in targeted areas of significance such as parks and protected areas. We review the sagebrush ecosystems resilience and resistance framework and describe how it is being applied in parks. We synthesize information generated from vital signs monitoring and supporting research and from a focused condition assessment. We outline gaps in knowledge and capacity and important next steps, including efforts to integrate sagebrush steppe resource protection in to fire management operations. Our assessment establishes the precarious importance of the US national park system to sagebrush ecosystem conservation and we establish the strategic foundation for more collaborative and effective protection and restoration.
- Type
- Presentation
- Authors
- Rodhouse, Tom; Lonneker, Jeff
- Date of Issue
- 2020-12-02
- Units
- BIHO , CIRO , CRMO , HAFO , JODA , LARO , NEPE , UCBN , WHMI
- Keywords
- fire, grasses, invasives, native, non-native, restoration, sagebrush, shrublands, soils, SSURGO, STATSGO, steppe
- Subjects
- Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Invasive Species | Invasive/Exotic plants , Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Focal Species or Communities | Shrubland Communities