Decision Support

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Acknowledging the presence of decision biases amongst emergency managers

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This study specifically surveyed county emergency managers; the individuals who are responsible for mitigating and responding to disaster events. The results suggest that emergency managers are subject to decision biases and by knowing this, we can improve emergency management and decision-making processes.

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Use of science and modeling by practitioners in landscape-scale management decisions

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We surveyed Forest Service resource managers in the western United States to address this knowledge gap. Respondents engaged most frequently with science via reading research publications; direct engagement with scientists was less common. There was widespread agreement that science was a useful input to decisionmaking. Managers believed more weight should be placed on science in decisionmaking in cases of low public consensus than in cases of high public consensus. Managers with the most frequent engagement with science generally held more positive views towards science and its role in decisionmaking.

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Use of science and modeling by practitioners in landscape-scale management decisions

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This study surveyed Forest Service resource managers in the western United States to address this knowledge gap. Respondents engaged most frequently with science via reading research publications; direct engagement with scientists was less common. There was widespread agreement that science was a useful input to decisionmaking. Managers believed more weight should be placed on science in decisionmaking in cases of low public consensus than in cases of high public consensus. Managers with the most frequent engagement with science generally held more positive views towards science and its role in decisionmaking.

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A strategy for defining the reference for land health and degradation assessments

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This paper (1) provides a review of conditions under which historic reference information is and is not required to meet management and policy objectives, (2) summarizes current approaches to defining the reference for land health and degradation assessments, and (3) presents a protocol, “Describing Indicators of Rangeland Health” (DIRH) for collecting and organizing data that can be used to define a historic reference. This protocol builds on the framework and indicators presented in the “Interpreting Indicators of Rangeland Health” (IIRH). IIRH uses a combination of scientific and local knowledge to generate soil- and climate-specific assessments of three attributes of land health. It is used in a number of countries. In the United States, data are aggregated over 30,000 locations to provide national assessments.

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Using state and transition models to determine the cost of ecosystem services

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A ranch-level model using state-and-transitions models for three ecological sites is used to determine the trade-offs of providing various ecosystem services. The hypothetical ranch is located in northern Colorado and is based upon area average ecological site characteristics and livestock production practices. Management decisions include stocking rate and brush control. The model includes exogenous factors such as precipitation and fire. The model solves for optimal decisions over an infinite planning horizon using stochastic dynamic programming. Results show that a ranch cannot provide all ecosystem services in tandem at their highest level, implying that land managers must decide which ecosystems service they want to provide. Also, it is much cheaper in terms of foregone profitability for a ranch to continue to provide a specific ecosystem service that is already provided by the ranch rather than try to transition the ranch to a new ecological state in order to provide a service currently not provided.

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Collaborative adaptive rangeland management fosters management-science partnerships

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This study evaluated management decision making as representatives from government agencies and conservation nongovernmental organizations, ranchers, and interdisciplinary researchers worked within the Collaborative Adaptive Rangeland Management (CAMP) experiment to 1) prioritize desired ecosystem services; 2) determine objectives; 3) set stocking rates, criteria for livestock movement among pastures, and vegetation treatments; and 4) select monitoring techniques that would inform decision making. For this paper, we analyzed meeting transcripts, interviews, and focus group data related to stakeholder group decision making. We find two key lessons from the CARM project. First, the CAM process makes visible, but does not reconcile differences between, stakeholder experiences and ways of knowing about complex rangeland systems. Second, social learning in CAM is contingent on the development of trust among stakeholder and researcher groups. We suggest future CAM efforts should 1) make direct efforts to share and acknowledge managers’ different rangeland management experiences, epistemologies, and knowledge and 2) involve long-term research commitment in time and funding to social, as well as experimental, processes that promote trust building among stakeholders and researchers over time.

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Collaborative spatial planning using the Great Basin LCC’s Conservation Planning Atlas

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The GBLCC Conservation Planning Atlas (CPA) is an important aspect of our effort to engage a landscape focus and best available science toward improving collaboration and maximizing conservation efforts in the Great Basin. Incorporating over 1000 spatial data layers related to conservation of the Great Basin region’s many natural and cultural  resources, the CPA provides managers, researchers and planners from state, federal, local, NGO and private partners a valuable suite of tools for collaborative spatial planning. In short, the portal represents a single website to access regional spatial layers, decision support tools, and Great Basin LCC project information and products.

GBLCC’s Geospatial Data Specialist, Eric Jensen will be joined by Conservation Biology Institute’s Kai Henifin to share about the CPA. Together we will dive into navigation of the portal, data, tools and publications available, and the Data Basin suite of collaborative features—such as Groups, sharing and comment threads. Finally, we’ll explore current use cases and share information about how you or your group can leverage the CPA for your own projects and planning.

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Interagency Fuels Treatment Decision Support System (IFTDSS)

Visit Interagency Fuels Treatment Decision Support System (IFTDSS) website.

IFTDSS is a web-based software and data integration framework that organizes previously existing and newly developed fire and fuels software applications to make fuels treatment planning and analysis more efficient and effective.  You must create an account to begin using this tool.

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Decision support tools for natural resource managers in sagebrush communities and across the Pacific Northwest

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The Conservation Biology Institute, the Great Basin LCC, Oregon State University, and EcoAdapt hosted a workshop that presented a series of decision support tools for land managers in the PNW. You can access the tools discussed at the workshop, from this webpage.

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Decision support tools for natural resource managers in sagebrush communities and across the Pacific Northwest

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The Conservation Biology Institute, the Great Basin LCC, Oregon State University, and EcoAdapt hosted a workshop to present a series of decision support tools for land managers in the PNW. You can access the tools discussed at the workshop, from this webpage.

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