Prioritizing landscapes for grassland bird conservation with hierarchical community models

Abstract Context Given widespread population declines of birds breeding in North American grasslands, management that sustains wildlife while supporting rancher livelihoods is needed. However, management effects vary across landscapes, and identifying areas with the greatest potential bird response to conservation is a pressing research need. Objectives We developed a hierarchical modeling approach to study grassland bird response to habitat factors at multiple scales and levels. We then identified areas to prioritize for implementing a bird-friendly ranching program. Methods Using bird survey data from grassland passerine species and 175 sites (2009–2018) across northeast Wyoming, USA, we fit hierarchical community distance sampling models and evaluated drivers of site-level density and regional-level distribution. We then created spatially-explicit predictions of bird density and distribution for the study area and predicted outcomes from pasture-scale management scenarios. Results Cumulative overlap of species distributions revealed areas with greater potential community response to management. Within each species’ potential regional-level distribution, the grassland bird community generally responded negatively to cropland cover and vegetation productivity at local scales (up to 10 km of survey sites). Multiple species declined with increasing bare ground and litter cover, shrub cover, and grass height measured within sites. Conclusions We demonstrated a novel approach to multi-scale and multi-level prioritization for grassland bird conservation based on hierarchical community models and extensive population monitoring. Pasture-scale management scenarios also suggested the examined community may benefit from less bare ground cover and shorter grass height. Our approach could be extended to other bird guilds in this region and beyond.

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Is Hay for the Birds? Investigating Landowner Willingness to Time Hay Harvests for Grassland Bird Conservation

Animals ◽

10.3390/ani11041030 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (4) ◽

pp. 1030

Author(s):

Matthew Gruntorad ◽

Katherine Graham ◽

Nico Arcilla ◽

Christopher Chizinski

Keyword(s):

Great Plains ◽

Critical Factor ◽

Information Support ◽

Conservation Strategies ◽

Bird Conservation ◽

Willingness To Participate ◽

Population Declines ◽

Grassland Bird ◽

The North ◽

Hunting Activity

Birds in agricultural environments have exhibited steep global population declines in recent decades, and effective conservation strategies targeting their populations are urgently needed. In grasslands used for hay production, breeding birds’ nest success improves substantially if hay harvests are delayed until after mid-July. However, few studies have investigated private hay producers’ willingness to alter their harvesting practices, which is a critical factor for bird conservation where most land is privately owned, such as in the North American Great Plains. We surveyed Nebraska hay producers to examine whether livestock production, wildlife knowledge, and hunting activity affects their willingness to alter haying practices for bird conservation. The majority (60%) of respondents expressed willingness to delay harvesting hay to allow birds time to nest successfully. Livestock producers and those more knowledgeable about wildlife were more willing to delay hay harvests, whereas active hunters were less willing to do so. Our findings suggest that a majority of private producers show a high potential for engaging in grassland bird conservation activities. Landowners’ willingness to participate in bird conservation programs and actions could be further encouraged through extension and education efforts connecting hay producers with information, support, and funding for bird conservation.

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Delineating Grassland Bird Conservation Areas in the U.S. Prairie Pothole Region

Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management ◽

10.3996/jfwm-022 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 1 (1) ◽

pp. 38-42 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Rex R. Johnson ◽

Diane A. Granfors ◽

Neal D. Niemuth ◽

Michael E. Estey ◽

Ronald E. Reynolds

Keyword(s):

Spatial Data ◽

Conceptual Models ◽

Prairie Pothole Region ◽

Grassland Birds ◽

Spatial Models ◽

Bird Conservation ◽

Prairie Pothole ◽

Conservation Areas ◽

Grassland Bird ◽

Landscape Characteristics

Abstract Conservation of birds is increasingly focused on the importance of landscape characteristics to sustain populations. Implementing conservation on a landscape scale requires reliable spatial models that provide biological context for conservation actions. Before species-specific models relating grassland birds to their habitat at landscape scales existed, we created a conceptual model and applied it to spatial data to identify priority grassland habitats for the protection and restoration of populations of area sensitive grassland birds in the Prairie Pothole Region. Since that time, these Grassland Bird Conservation Areas have been widely used to guide conservation, and variations of these models have been adopted in other regions; however, the process used to delineate them (i.e., the conceptual models) is poorly understood by many users. We describe that process here and offer perspectives on the utility and limitations of conceptual models, especially on the value of making assumptions that commonly underlie management decisions explicitly, thereby making the assumptions testable, and hopefully increasing management transparency, credibility, and efficiency.

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