Gunnison Sage-grouse Prioritizing Restoration of Sagebrush Ecosystems Tool (PReSET)
In partnership with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, and other partners, scientists from USGS Fort Collins Science Center are working to create a suite of prioritization scenarios that will inform adaptive management for Gunnison sage-grouse.
Background
Sagebrush ecosystems continue to undergo widespread degradation due partly to drought, wildfire, and human development. Effective management must consider how to best conserve and restore habitats for threatened species like the Gunnison sage-grouse (Centrocercus minimus) given finite conservation resources. However, limited tools exist to help inform such management questions. There is therefore a need for tools that help guide conservation efforts and ensure they are effective at meeting desired outcomes and goals.
Approach
We recently developed the Prioritizing Restoration of Sagebrush Ecosystems Tool (PReSET; Duchardt and others 2021) that has continued to expand in scope and capabilities through applications across Wyoming and the Northern Colorado River Basin. We will apply this spatial-optimization framework to prioritize sites for restoration and conservation based on customized management scenarios that satisfy the needs of agency partners and other stakeholders managing Gunnison sage-grouse habitats. These scenarios will be defined in collaboration with agency personnel and other stakeholder partners, allowing us to identify areas where managers may wish to maintain current ecological conditions and function. Additionally, prioritization scenarios can also indicate where management to restore areas may provide the largest conservation return within the Gunnison sage-grouse range. Project deliverables will include maps of prioritized management units designed to improve strategic management planning efforts in the region. These maps may consider costs to successfully restore degraded sagebrush habitats, optimize management actions to benefit multiple key species of conservation concern, and prioritize intact sagebrush habitats for protection.
In partnership with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, and other partners, scientists from USGS Fort Collins Science Center are working to create a suite of prioritization scenarios that will inform adaptive management for Gunnison sage-grouse.
Background
Sagebrush ecosystems continue to undergo widespread degradation due partly to drought, wildfire, and human development. Effective management must consider how to best conserve and restore habitats for threatened species like the Gunnison sage-grouse (Centrocercus minimus) given finite conservation resources. However, limited tools exist to help inform such management questions. There is therefore a need for tools that help guide conservation efforts and ensure they are effective at meeting desired outcomes and goals.
Approach
We recently developed the Prioritizing Restoration of Sagebrush Ecosystems Tool (PReSET; Duchardt and others 2021) that has continued to expand in scope and capabilities through applications across Wyoming and the Northern Colorado River Basin. We will apply this spatial-optimization framework to prioritize sites for restoration and conservation based on customized management scenarios that satisfy the needs of agency partners and other stakeholders managing Gunnison sage-grouse habitats. These scenarios will be defined in collaboration with agency personnel and other stakeholder partners, allowing us to identify areas where managers may wish to maintain current ecological conditions and function. Additionally, prioritization scenarios can also indicate where management to restore areas may provide the largest conservation return within the Gunnison sage-grouse range. Project deliverables will include maps of prioritized management units designed to improve strategic management planning efforts in the region. These maps may consider costs to successfully restore degraded sagebrush habitats, optimize management actions to benefit multiple key species of conservation concern, and prioritize intact sagebrush habitats for protection.