Understanding the use of habitat models for managing and conserving rare plants on western public lands
The use of rare plant habitat models in land management decisions can be constrained by issues surrounding data access, model quality, and institutional capacity, among other factors. This project seeks to understand challenges associated with using habitat models and explore avenues for addressing these challenges to facilitate greater use of habitat models in public lands decision making.
Background
Bureau of Land Management (BLM) staff analyze potential effects to rare plants when permitting or conducting actions on public lands, in accordance with BLM guidance (Special Status Species Management Manual), the Endangered Species Act, and the National Environmental Policy Act. BLM is committed to using science to inform these decisions (Kitchell and others, 2015). Habitat models can increase understanding of where rare plants and their habitats occur and help assess potential impacts to rare plants. However, staff can face challenges to using rare plant habitat models in public lands decisions due to issues surrounding data organization and access, model quality, and institutional capacity, among other factors.
Project goal and objectives
Our goal is to better understand how and to what extent broadscale data, including habitat models, are currently being used in BLM decision making, and to identify opportunities for facilitating greater use of these data by BLM staff in their management decisions.
Our objectives are to:
- Gather information about the current use of broadscale data in BLM decisions involving rare plants and challenges to the BLM’s use of broadscale data in decisions.
- Compile information on science and data needs related to rare plants that have already been identified by the agency, and on the availability of habitat models for rare plants that are of concern on public lands managed by the BLM.
- Interview BLM staff who analyze rare plants in NEPA documents to better understand perceived benefits and challenges associated with using rare plant habitat models to inform agency decisions.
- Work with habitat modelers to identify avenues for addressing those challenges to help facilitate greater use of rare plant habitat models in BLM decisions.
Anticipated Benefits
Understanding and addressing challenges related to the use of broadscale data, including habitat models for rare plants, can enhance the utility of science products that are intended to support public land management. Gathering information directly from staff in the field who experience challenges to using habitat models can effectively guide efforts to foster greater use of broadscale geospatial data in land management decisions.
Science-management partnership
USGS and BLM are partnering to coproduce practical, actionable science that informs future planning, policy, and management decisions on public lands managed by the BLM (see Beier and others, 2017 for more information on coproduction).
