Expanding vulnerability assessment for public lands: The social complement to ecological approaches

McNeeley, Shannon M.; Even, Trevor L.; Gioia, John; Knapp, Corrine Nöel; Beeton, Tyler A.

doi:10.1016/j.crm.2017.01.005

Cited by 34 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 90 publications

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“…As climate change planning is developed, the vulnerability of land-based livelihoods should be considered in addition to ecological impacts to build a more complete understanding of complex social-ecological systems on multiple-use public lands (McNeeley et al 2017a). The gray literature review reveals that there is currently little documented discussion of how climate change will potentially impact the livelihoods of those who depend on public land resources.…”

Section: Conclusion: Implications For Bureau Of Land Managementmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is also possible that climate-driven changes could have positive effects on resources and livelihoods in some places, for instance, increased visitation to high-elevation, cool places during heat waves in lower elevations. Since these changes directly influence ranching and recreationbased businesses, it is important for multiple-use agencies to consider how climate change will influence social and ecological vulnerability (Archie et al 2012;Eakin & Luers 2006;McNeeley et al 2017a). In this study, we explore how the BLM in Colorado is currently integrating climate change into planning documents, what types of climate-sensitive resources and impacts are discussed, and how impacts to landbased livelihoods are being addressed.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Planning for change? Assessing the integration of climate change and land-based livelihoods in Colorado BLM planning documents

2020

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Many western communities are surrounded by public lands that support land-based and local economies. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) decision-making affects the vulnerability of those land-based livelihoods, especially in the context of climate change. We analyzed Colorado BLM planning documents to evaluate how they are considering climate change, sensitive resources, impacts, and land-based livelihoods in their planning processes using both quantitative word counts and qualitative coding. Documents published in recent years (2011-2015) include more mentions of climate change than older documents (1985-1997). However, the review showed that while climate change is discussed within the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) planning documents, the final Resource Management Plans contain few mentions of climate change. Further, there is minimal consideration of how climate change may impact land-based livelihoods. These results prompt questions about the planning process, how climate change considerations are integrated into the final documents, and how that impacts on-theground management. The review suggests a need for increased consideration of climate change throughout the BLM's planning process so that landscapes can be managed with more attention and awareness to climate change and the associated impacts to resources and dependent communities. Keywords Land-based livelihoods. Climate change. BLM. Gray literature. Planning. NEPA 1 Animal unit month (AUM) is defined as the forage needed for one "animal unit" for 1 month. An "animal unit" is considered a 1000-lb cow and her suckling calf. AUM is the unit used to calculate federal grazing fees by the BLM.

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Section: Conclusion: Implications For Bureau Of Land Managementmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Planning for change? Assessing the integration of climate change and land-based livelihoods in Colorado BLM planning documents

2020

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“…ERA studies using LULC change maps have been applied in different areas around the globe. These have been developed to analyze the spatial-temporal distribution of landscape ERA in an watershed area [19], to identify the landscape fragmentation level of green spaces as a result of built-up expansion [20], to identify ecological networks and the most valued lands for protection [21], among many other examples that can be found in the literature. In all these cases, remote sensing techniques have been used as a preliminary stage to acquire the land information before performing further analysis on calculating ecological indices to assess the likelihood of ecosystems to collapse on a given landscape.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecological Risk Assessment Based on Land Cover Changes: A Case of Zanzibar (Tanzania)

Omar

Cabral

2020

Remote Sensing

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Land use and land cover (LULC) under improper land management is a major challenge in sub-Saharan Africa and has drastically affected ecological security. Addressing environmental impacts related to this challenge requires efficient planning strategies based on the measured information of land use patterns. This study assessed the ecological risk index (ERI) of Zanzibar based on LULC. A random forest classifier was used to classify three Landsat images of Zanzibar for the years 2003, 2009, and 2018. Then, a land change model was employed to simulate the LULC changes for 2027 under a business-as-usual (BAU), conservation, and extreme scenarios. Results showed that the built-up areas and farmland of Zanzibar Island have increased constantly, while the natural grassland and forest cover have decreased. The forest, agricultural, and grassland were highly fragmented into several small patches. The ERI of Zanzibar Island increased at a constant rate and, if the current trend continues, this index will increase by up to 8.9% in 2027 under an extreme scenario. If a conservation scenario is adopted, the ERI will increase by 4.6% whereas if a BAU policy is followed, this value will increase by 6.2%. This study provides authorities with useful information to understand better the ecological processes and LULC dynamics and prevent unmanaged growth and haphazard development of informal housing and infrastructure.

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“…Furthermore, adaptation activities happen through social processes that reflect stakeholders' preferences and existing policies [9]. To overcome this challenge, vulnerability assessments can integrate top-down scientific methods with bottom-up involvement of stakeholders, including environmental managers and their constituents [13,14]. Previous research described how a lack of appropriate information limits U.S. federal land managers' ability to adapt to climate change and suggested that improved networks between managers and scientists could alleviate this challenge [15,16].…”

Section: Climate Change Vulnerability Assessments: Basics and Outstanmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A lack of integration between social and ecological factors has presented a challenge to vulnerability research [5,21]. To address the social-ecological linkages inherent in vulnerability, the literature suggests techniques including "bottom-up" qualitative case studies, top-down quantitative indicators, and participatory scenario processes [14,59,60]. Furthermore, the concept of ecosystem services, by design, recognizes the benefits that ecosystems provide human communities [4].…”

Section: Toward Integrated Vulnerability Determinationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment for Forest Management: The Case of the U.S. Forest Service

Timberlake

Schultz

2019

Forests

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Forest managers need access to targeted scientific information about the impacts of climate change in order to adapt to climate change. Vulnerability assessments address this need and are common across a range of disciplines and geographies; however, the practice of vulnerability assessment has revealed challenges that warrant further examination in a specific context. The U.S. Forest Service, a national forest-management agency in charge of 78 million hectares, has developed a collection of climate change vulnerability assessments to support adaptation by forest managers. We conducted a qualitative document analysis, informed by a series of research interviews with scientists, of 44 vulnerability assessments developed for the U.S. Forest Service. We found that partnerships between research scientists and land managers were central to the development of vulnerability assessments in the U.S. Forest Service. Assessment processes vary across settings. As the practice has developed, vulnerability assessments increasingly cover larger spatial extents and a broader range of resources associated with forest management. We identified ways in which vulnerability assessments can support decision-making, including approaches already in use and opportunities to improve practice. In particular, we discuss how vulnerability assessments are well-positioned to support the development of land-management plans, which set strategic management direction for periods of at least a decade. This paper provides baseline knowledge on a fundamental aspect of a large national forestry agency’s climate change adaptation strategy, with many findings transferable to the study of other forest-management organizations.

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Expanding vulnerability assessment for public lands: The social complement to ecological approaches

Cited by 34 publications

References 90 publications

Planning for change? Assessing the integration of climate change and land-based livelihoods in Colorado BLM planning documents

Planning for change? Assessing the integration of climate change and land-based livelihoods in Colorado BLM planning documents

Ecological Risk Assessment Based on Land Cover Changes: A Case of Zanzibar (Tanzania)

Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment for Forest Management: The Case of the U.S. Forest Service

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