Structured decision making and optimal bird monitoring in the northern Gulf of Mexico

Fournier, Auriel M. V.; Wilson, Ryan R.; Lyons, James E.; Gleason, Jeffrey S.; Adams, Evan M.; Barnhill, Laurel M.; Brush, Janell M.; Cooper, Robert J.; Driscoll, Melanie J. L.; Eaton, Mitchell J.; Frederick, Peter C.; Just, Michael G.; Seymour, Michael A.; Tirpak, John M.; Woodrey, Mark S.

doi:10.3133/ofr20201122

Cited by 3 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 12 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Because the Reddish Egret is a coastal specialist restricted to island habitat for nesting, the species is particularly vulnerable to sea-level rise and extreme weather events (Frederick and Green, 2019). The low elevation of Louisiana barrier and marsh islands combined with subsidence and sea-level rise subjects breeding colonies to the perennial threat of storm overwash and reduced nest success (Ritenour et al, 2022;Walter et al, 2013).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Tropical Cyclones and Other Severe Weather Events on Reddish Egret (Egretta rufescens) Populations in Louisiana, U.S.A.

Vasseur,

Collins,

Selman

2023

Journal of Coastal Research

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Tropical cyclones (i.e. tropical depressions, tropical storms, and hurricanes) and other extreme weather events directly impacting Louisiana from 2016-21 were examined to determine their effects on adult Reddish Egrets equipped with satellite transmitters in SE (n ¼ 11) and SW (n ¼ 14) Louisiana. Fourteen tropical cyclones (six hurricanes, five tropical storms, one tropical depression, and two extratropical cyclones) impacted Louisiana during the study, and telemetry data were reviewed immediately on and around (61 day) the arrival of each storm to monitor any movements and individual survival. As many as nine of 25 (36%) transmittered Reddish Egrets presumably died from the direct impacts of five tropical cyclones; seven of nine mortalities were associated with three major hurricanes. Mortality was presumed based on stationary GPS fixes for multiple days or the termination of data transmission following a storm. All mortalities were presumed, as no carcasses were recovered. Previous telemetry studies reported Reddish Egrets often survived intense tropical cyclones and direct impacts were not appreciable at the population level. Yet, more than one-third of the transmittered birds in the sample population potentially died from storm-related impacts, and the population may have declined drastically, assuming some unmarked individuals also likely died. Because the Reddish Egret is restricted to coastal habitats, the species appears to be particularly vulnerable to tropical cyclone effects. If predictions of increased frequency and intensity of tropical cyclones by the end of this century are accurate, these storms pose a significant threat to Reddish Egret populations. With accelerated loss and degradation to suitable coastal habitats, protection and restoration of key foraging and nesting sites for sensitive species similar to the Reddish Egret are needed in Louisiana and other disturbance-prone areas along the Gulf Coast.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Tropical Cyclones and Other Severe Weather Events on Reddish Egret (Egretta rufescens) Populations in Louisiana, U.S.A.

Vasseur,

Collins,

Selman

2023

Journal of Coastal Research

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Structured decision making (Gregory et al, 2012) has become a popular choice within natural resource disciplines because the framework helps decision makers articulate and clarify how they are integrating science‐based and values‐based information within their decision space. For example, the Gulf of Mexico Avian Monitoring Network used structured decision making specifically because the framework allowed them to address conservation complexities in their region, consider different temporal‐ and spatial‐scales, as well as incorporate stakeholder values (Fournier et al, 2021).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Planning for people and nature: Comparing quality‐of‐life outcomes across environmental systems to inform conservation planning

Liberati

May

Sowa

et al. 2022

Conservat Sci and Prac

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Conservation programs have been slow to integrate socio-economic indicators into decision making despite growing recognition that addressing social-ecological systems improves outcomes for nature and people. Our goal was to identify small, comprehensive sets of socio-economic indicators for conservation programs designed to (1) improve agricultural soil health and reduce sediment and nutrient loading to freshwater systems, (2) restore Great Lakes coastal wetlands, and (3) implement green stormwater infrastructure in cities. We piloted a structured decision-making process to select indicators more objectively and transparently. Important elements of our process were (a) using a human quality-of-life framework to identify potential indicators and (b) evaluating indicators' relevance to conservation, resonance with communities, and data-availability. The programs identified 278 potential indicators across seven quality-of-life domains, of which 78 were evaluated against six selection criteria. For each program, we developed intended use scenarios, assigned relative weights to selection criteria, and used these weights to calculate a weighted sum of the indicator's criteria scores and rank indicators. Across programs and intended uses, 21 indicators achieved top-five rankings; indicators for flood risk and damage were common across all three programs. Our collaborative approach provided opportunities to evaluate indicator selections across quality-of-life domain, conservation program, and intended uses.

show abstract

Structured Decision Making to Prioritize Regional Bird Monitoring Needs

Fournier

Wilson

Gleason

et al. 2023

INFORMS Journal on Applied Analytics

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Conservation planning for large ecosystems has multiple benefits but is often challenging to implement because of the multiple jurisdictions, species, and habitats involved. In addition, decision making at large spatial scales can be hampered because many approaches do not explicitly incorporate potentially competing values and concerns of stakeholders. After the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, establishing baselines was challenging because of (1) variation in study designs, (2) inconsistent use of explicit objectives and hypotheses, (3) inconsistent use of standardized monitoring protocols, and (4) variation in spatial and temporal scope associated with avian monitoring projects before the spill. Herein, we show how the Gulf of Mexico Avian Monitoring Network members used structured decision making to identify bird monitoring priorities. We used multiple tools and techniques to clearly define the problem and stakeholder objectives and to identify bird monitoring priorities at the scale of the entire northern Gulf of Mexico region. Although our example is specific to the northern Gulf of Mexico, this approach provides an example of how stakeholder values can be incorporated into the coordination process of broad-scale monitoring programs to address management, restoration, and scientific questions in other ecosystems and for other taxa. History: This paper was refereed. Funding: Thanks to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation [Grant 324423], which supported A. Fournier as a postdoctoral research associate at Mississippi State University. M. Woodrey was supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Hatch Project funds, the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration [Grant NA16NOS4200088 to the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources’ Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve], and the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources [Grant 8200025414]. This publication is a contribution of the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station. T. Zenzal was supported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration RESTORE Act Science Program [Grant NA17NOS4510092].

show abstract

Structured decision making and optimal bird monitoring in the northern Gulf of Mexico

Cited by 3 publications

References 12 publications

Effects of Tropical Cyclones and Other Severe Weather Events on Reddish Egret (Egretta rufescens) Populations in Louisiana, U.S.A.

Effects of Tropical Cyclones and Other Severe Weather Events on Reddish Egret (Egretta rufescens) Populations in Louisiana, U.S.A.

Planning for people and nature: Comparing quality‐of‐life outcomes across environmental systems to inform conservation planning

Structured Decision Making to Prioritize Regional Bird Monitoring Needs

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About