Infusing ‘long-term’ into social science rangelands research

Authors: WULFHORST, J.D. - University Of Idaho; BRUNO, JASMINE - Colorado State University; Toledo, David; Wilmer, Hailey; Archer, David; Peck, Dannele; Huggins, David

Submitted to: Rangelands
Publication Type: Review Article
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/1/2022
Publication Date: 10/1/2022
Citation: Wulfhorst, J., Bruno, J., Toledo, D.N., Wilmer, H.N., Archer, D.W., Peck, D.E., Huggins, D.R. 2022. Infusing ‘long-term’ into social science rangelands research. Rangelands. 44(5):299–305. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rala.2022.06.001.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rala.2022.06.001

Interpretive Summary: The rangeland community has become increasingly aware of the connectedness of human and ecological systems. It is now widely accepted that we cannot view environmental problems in isolation from the social and economic settings in which they occur but we still struggle to understand how to integrate science and human decision making to address complex socio-ecological issues facing rangelands. The Long-Term-Agroecosystem Research network (LTAR) is well poised to address the challenge of integrating science and management of rangelands with human decision making as it takes a network approach to compare agricultural productivity, social, economic and ecological outcomes of predominant agricultural practices to further human well-being. This paper introduces a special issue of the journal Rangelands devoted to highlighting advancements of human dimensions rangeland research and highlighting a unique set of examples related the Long-Term Agroecosystem Research (LTAR) network.

Technical Abstract: During the 20th Century, the natural resource sciences increased awareness of and acknowledged the connectedness of human and ecological systems. Now a more widely accepted notion, we view environmental problems as connected, integrated, and more complex, rather than in isolation from the social and economic settings in which they occur. Theory has led to findings, where changes in ecosystems and human well-being have high interconnectivity, thus remaining dynamic and co-adaptive. Changes in one part of a socio-ecological system have repercussions on other parts of the system creating continual feedback loops with the potential for unintended consequences to both human well-being and ecosystems. Similarly, the rangeland research community has continued to increase scientific attention toward the connectedness of human and ecological systems. Unique integration of social and ecological sciences in many cases now address complex socio-ecological issues facing rangelands. We could debate whether a broader integration and application of social sciences research within rangeland management decisions still lags behind biophysical equivalents. No matter that stance, social science rangeland research (ssrr) has developed new and noteworthy frontiers. This special issue highlights the contemporary convergence and advancements of that activity and highlights a unique set of examples related to a unique scale and support within the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Long-Term Agroecosystem Research (LTAR) network.