Open Spaces, Working Places

Resnik, Jessica R.; Wallace, G. B.; Brunson, Mark W.

doi:10.2458/azu_rangelands_v28i5_resnik

Cited by 5 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…Efforts to reduce negative outcomes of increased disturbance are relevant to SDG 15.4. Typical rates of return on livestock in the West are already as low as 2% (Holechek et al 1994), and private rangelands have become increasingly fragmented with land use change (Holechek 2001;Resnik et al 2006). Thus, climate change may render livestock operations unprofitable in the future.…”

Section: Vulnerability To Climate Changementioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding and Managing the Effects of Climate Change on Ecosystem Services in the Rocky Mountains

Halofsky

Warziniack

Peterson

et al. 2017

Mountain Research and Development

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Section: Vulnerability To Climate Changementioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding and Managing the Effects of Climate Change on Ecosystem Services in the Rocky Mountains

Halofsky

Warziniack

Peterson

et al. 2017

Mountain Research and Development

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“…Concern has been raised by rural citizens and conservation groups regarding the loss of agricultural production and biological diversity, and by urban interests that mourn the loss of open space and recreation opportunity. 2 Signifi cant effort needs to be expended to prepare a well-informed citizenry capable of making educated decisions when it comes to the complex issues facing rangelands.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This change is occurring most rapidly in the Southwest and in the Mountain West and typically involves the conversion of rangelands to residential property. 2 The development of these open spaces into dispersed rural residences adversely affects wildlife habitat and migration patterns, the amount of scenic lands, access to public lands, and the rural sense of community. 3 Public acceptance has become increasingly critical to the success of rangeland management as debate intensifi es worldwide over ecosystem protection and sustainable development.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment of 4-H Range Management Programs in the United States

Allen¹,

Elmore²,

Weir³

2010

Rangelands

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“…However, pressure from changing demographics and demands (Maczko et al, 2011;Reeves et al, 2018) is creating strong financial incentives for the sale of privately owned rangelands for housing development and more intensive forms of agriculture (Huntsinger and Hopkinson, 1996;Goldstein et al, 2011;Maczko et al, 2011;Wetzel et al, 2012;Cameron et al, 2014). This transformation of rangeland ecosystems in the form of both fragmentation and conversion has a substantial impact on the vitality of rural economies, wildlife and bird habitat, recreational opportunities, and carbon storage, among other benefits (Resnik et al, 2006;Havstad et al, 2007;Maczko et al, 2011;Reeves et al, 2018).…”

Section: Threats To Ecosystem Service Provision On Private Rangelandsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Existing Accessible Modeling Tools Offer Limited Support to Evaluation of Impact Investment in Rangeland Ecosystem Services

Gordon¹,

Kowal²,

Khadka³

et al. 2019

Front. Sustain. Food Syst.

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Privately owned rangelands in the western US support many ecosystem services and are threatened by financial incentives favoring conversion to housing development and more intensive forms of agriculture. Recognizing this threat, the impact investment community has identified rangeland management as a potential investing strategy to produce financial returns while preserving or enhancing the ecosystem services provided by intact rangelands. This strategy is based primarily on the notion that a capital-intensive conversion from continuous to rotational grazing can financially sustain rangelands through a combination of increased productivity and potentially monetized ecosystem service flows. The potential for these gains is supported by compelling anecdotal evidence, yet a robust body of scientific literature based on rigorous field experiments has not supported those claims, nor produced transferrable estimates of the benefits provided by rotational grazing of livestock (particularly cattle in the western US). Therefore, to demonstrate investment viability and measure investment success, impact investors will likely need to address these well-documented disconnects through some combination of monitoring and process-based modeling. This study examines the extent to which existing modeling tools are up to this task, by assessing the ability of two process-based models to represent four specific rotational grazing benefits put forth by impact investors, using a ranch in northeastern Wyoming as a case study. Using the Soil Water Assessment Tool, we simulated high magnitude changes in the water balance from surface runoff to evapotranspiration, which may be a benefit or negative impact depending on context (Benefit 1). We simulated a decrease in soil water storage under rotational grazing, which directly contradicts the outcome assumed in investment literature (Benefit 2). Using the InVEST beta Rangeland Production Model (based on the Century ecosystem model), we simulated increased biomass productivity (Benefit 3) under rotational grazing, which enhanced animal performance under some management parameters but negatively impacted it in others (Benefit 4). We conclude that the impact investing community will likely find greater success through a shift to objective-oriented ranch management, rather than a specific focus on rotation, and will also need additional investment in science and monitoring to demonstrate benefits.

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Open Spaces, Working Places

Abstract: Local government programs can slow loss of rangelands—but only if urban and ranching interests find ways to work together.

Cited by 5 publications

References 5 publications

Understanding and Managing the Effects of Climate Change on Ecosystem Services in the Rocky Mountains

Understanding and Managing the Effects of Climate Change on Ecosystem Services in the Rocky Mountains

Assessment of 4-H Range Management Programs in the United States

Existing Accessible Modeling Tools Offer Limited Support to Evaluation of Impact Investment in Rangeland Ecosystem Services

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