A decade of science support in the sagebrush biome (NOTE: to be released late September 2021)

Mapping Intimacies ◽

10.32747/2021.7488985 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Keyword(s):

Animal Species ◽

Current Understanding ◽

Sage Grouse ◽

Conservation Actions ◽

Core Areas ◽

Working Lands

Working Lands for Wildlife (WLFW) invests in science to proactively target conservation investments and quantify outcomes. This report summarizes more than a decade of WLFW science’s current understanding of identified sagebrush biome threats on western working rangelands and how best to address them through voluntary conservation actions. More than 350 plant and animal species are benefitting from this conservation, notably sage grouse, sagebrush songbirds, and migratory big game populations. 61 peer-reviewed publications are referenced in the report that are helping guide targeted conservation of the sage brush biome, conserve core areas, along with scientifically quantifying outcomes.

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Energy Disturbance and Productivity of Mule Deer Habitat in Sage-Grouse Core Areas

Rangeland Ecology & Management ◽

10.1016/j.rama.2017.04.005 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 70 (5) ◽

pp. 576-583 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

R. Scott Gamo ◽

Jeffrey L. Beck

Keyword(s):

Mule Deer ◽

Sage Grouse ◽

Core Areas

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Waldbauliche Massnahmen für das Auerhuhn im Sonderwaldreservat Amden: ein erstes Fazit

Schweizerische Zeitschrift fur Forstwesen ◽

10.3188/szf.2014.0087 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 165 (4) ◽

pp. 87-96

Author(s):

Nicolas Bircher ◽

Harald Bugmann ◽

Kurt Bollmann

Keyword(s):

Habitat Restoration ◽

Indirect Evidence ◽

Canopy Cover ◽

Ground Vegetation ◽

Suitable Habitat ◽

Forest Reserve ◽

Species Response ◽

Conservation Actions ◽

Core Areas ◽

Restoration Measures

Silvicultural habitat restoration measures for the capercaillie in the special forest reserve of Amden: a first review As a threatened forest grouse species, the capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus) depends on conservation actions in core areas of its Alpine distribution. In this study, we looked at the species' response to silvicultural measures in the special forest reserve of Amden in the canton of St. Gallen, Switzerland. Here, silvicultural measures were taken between 2006 and 2009 in stands that had previously been classified as less or not suitable for capercaillie. In summer 2010, we investigated how stands used by the species differed from unused ones by relating indirect evidence of species presence with forest structural and compositional variables. Evidence of species' habitat use was found in 12 out of 33 surveyed stands. Used stands showed a significantly higher share of bilberry in the ground vegetation layer, a higher proportion of coniferous trees and a lower canopy cover. Furthermore, the proportion of suitable habitat in immediate vicinity of the treated forest stand was higher in used stands. Our results support that habitat restoration by logging is a promising method to improve capercaillie habitat, in particular in fir-spruce forests, where the effectivity of restoration measures was higher compared to fir-beech forests. Hence, managing guidance for the future selection of stands for restoration should be based on habitat suitability of the stand itself and on an appropriate habitat quality of adjacent forest stands.

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Effectiveness of Wyoming’s Sage-Grouse Core Areas: Influences on Energy Development and Male Lek Attendance

Environmental Management ◽

10.1007/s00267-016-0789-9 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 59 (2) ◽

pp. 189-203 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

R. Scott Gamo ◽

Jeffrey L. Beck

Keyword(s):

Energy Development ◽

Sage Grouse ◽

Core Areas

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The importance of seasonal resource selection when managing a threatened species: targeting conservation actions within critical habitat designations for the Gunnison sage-grouse

Wildlife Research ◽

10.1071/wr17027 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 44 (5) ◽

pp. 407 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

M. B. Rice ◽

A. D. Apa ◽

L. A. Wiechman

Keyword(s):

Resource Selection ◽

Radio Telemetry ◽

Sage Grouse ◽

Isolated Populations ◽

Critical Habitat ◽

Selection Models ◽

Management Actions ◽

The Us ◽

Conservation Actions ◽

Priority Habitat

Context The ability to identify priority habitat is critical for species of conservation concern. The designation of critical habitat under the US Endangered Species Act 1973 identifies areas occupied by the species that are important for conservation and may need special management or protection. However, relatively few species’ critical habitats designations incorporate habitat suitability models or seasonal specificity, even when that information exists. Gunnison sage-grouse (GUSG) have declined substantially from their historical range and were listed as threatened by the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) in November 2014. GUSG are distributed into eight isolated populations in Colorado and Utah, and one population, the Gunnison Basin (GB), has been the focus of much research. Aims To provide season-specific resource selection models to improve targeted conservation actions within the designated critical habitat in the GB. Methods We utilised radio-telemetry data from GUSG captured and monitored from 2004 to 2010. We were able to estimate resource selection models for the breeding (1 April–15 July) and summer (16 July–30 September) seasons in the GB using vegetation, topographical and anthropogenic variables. We compared the seasonal models with the existing critical habitat to investigate whether the more specific seasonal models helped identify priority habitat for GUSG. Key results The predictive surface for the breeding model indicated higher use of large areas of sagebrush, whereas the predictive surface for the summer model predicted use of more diverse habitats. The breeding and summer models (combined) matched the current critical habitat designation 68.5% of the time. We found that although the overall habitat was similar between the critical habitat designation and our combined models, the pattern and configuration of the habitat were very different. Conclusions These models highlight areas with favourable environmental variables and spatial juxtaposition to establish priority habitat within the critical habitat designated by USFWS. More seasonally specific resource selection models will assist in identifying specific areas within the critical habitat designation to concentrate habitat improvements, conservation and restoration within the GB. Implications This information can be used to provide insight into the patterns of seasonal habitat selection and can identify priority GUSG habitat to incorporate into critical habitat designation for targeted management actions.

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Identification of priority areas for landscape connectivity maintenance in the Xingu Area of Endemism in Brazilian Amazonia

Acta Amazonica ◽

10.1590/1809-4392201903080 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 50 (1) ◽

pp. 68-79 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Rodrigo Baia CASTRO ◽

Jorge Luis Gavina PEREIRA ◽

Regiane SATURNINO ◽

Paula Sueli Duarte MONTEIRO ◽

Ana Luisa Kerti Mangabeira ALBERNAZ

Keyword(s):

Landscape Connectivity ◽

Spatial Pattern Analysis ◽

Genetic Isolation ◽

Degree Of Protection ◽

Conservation Actions ◽

Morphological Spatial Pattern Analysis ◽

Core Areas ◽

Wildlife Populations ◽

Fragmented Forests ◽

Connectivity Maintenance

ABSTRACT Forest fragmentation has been intense in the eastern Amazon region, which has negatively affected wildlife populations. The speed of deforestation in this region underscores the urgent need to understand the effects of such changes on populations of endemic species, and to implement measures for ecosystem conservation. We analyzed the extent to which fragmented forests are still connected in the Xingu Area of Endemism, in the eastern Brazilian Amazon, and assigned conservation priority to fragments most important for connectivity maintenance. We structurally classified the Xingu landscape using the Morphological Spatial Pattern Analysis and ranked each fragment according to its importance using an Index of Connectivity. Our data revealed important differences in conservation potential across the region. Although most of the study area already receives some degree of protection, future conservation actions should prioritize the connection of habitat fragments to maximize dispersal potential and minimize genetic isolation of biodiversity components. We produced a map of prioritary areas for connectivity maximization. These areas include fragments with large core areas and high-quality fragments that provide connection among habitats which, together, should maintain crucial corridors for gene flow in a biologically-rich region of the Amazon.

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