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ARS Home » Plains Area » Fort Collins, Colorado » Center for Agricultural Resources Research » Rangeland Resources & Systems Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #333079
Title: Advancing knowledge for proactive drought planning and enhancing adaptive management for drought on rangelands: Introduction to a special issue

Author
item KELLEY, WINDY - University Of Wyoming
item SCASTA, JOHN - University Of Wyoming
item Derner, Justin

Submitted to: Rangelands
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/10/2019
Publication Date: 9/7/2016
Citation: Kelley, W.K., Scasta, J.D., Derner, J.D. 2016. Advancing knowledge for proactive drought planning and enhancing adaptive management for drought on rangelands: Introduction to a special issue. Rangelands. 38(4)159-161.

Interpretive Summary: Drought adversely affects land managers, ranching enterprises, and pastoral systems. As an ecological driver, drought historically shaped vegetation composition, structure, diversity, and productivity of rangelands leading to varying levels of resilience in these ecosystems. Drought influences risk management in decision making by rangeland managers, resulting in a renewed emphasis on the importance of proactive drought planning and adaptive management for drought with monitoring-informed decision making. Transferring of knowledge to other rangeland stewards, and proactive drought planning, which incorporates adaptive management using monitoring-informed information to assist decision making as a keystone element, will require much greater management–science collaboration. A better understanding of the effects of drought and anticipated recovery of rangeland ecosystems from drought, and more specifically the grazing–drought interaction is needed.

Technical Abstract: Drought is a prolonged period of abnormally low rainfall that adversely affects vegetation growth and negatively impacts land managers, ranching enterprises, and pastoral systems. As an ecological driver, drought historically shaped vegetation composition, structure, diversity, and productivity of rangelands leading to varying levels of resilience in these ecosystems. Land managers in the western United States have been challenged since settlement to strategically and proactively plan for drought, mitigate adverse effects and/or adapt to changing conditions during a drought, and to recover from drought. Thus, there is a renewed emphasis on the importance of proactive drought planning and adaptive management for drought with monitoring-informed decision making for rangelands. However, many rangeland managers continue to struggle with proactive drought planning, despite multiple generations of experience with ecological, economic, and social effects from previous droughts. Transferring of knowledge to other rangeland stewards, and proactive drought planning, which incorporates adaptive management using monitoring-informed information to assist decision making as a keystone element, will require much greater management–science collaboration. Researchers also need to continue to enhance prediction capacity and develop more reliable seasonal weather/climate forecasts. This includes better understanding of the effects of drought and anticipated recovery of rangeland ecosystems from drought, and more specifically the grazing–drought interaction.