Performing Department
Ecosystem Science & Management
Non Technical Summary
Rangelands worldwide are being transformed by the encroachment of woody plants. This is a fundamental alteration of the landscape, and it is occurring because of a variety of factors including historic overgrazing, reduction in the extent and frequency of fires, and increases in CO2. On one hand, woody plant encroachment poses a serious problem for landowners and agricultural producers by threatening the agricultural productivity of rangelands and the ecosystem services they provide. On the other hand, we know that woody plants have a greater capacity than grasses to store carbon, thereby making them a potentially important vehicle for carbon sequestration and the mitigation of climate change. These competing demands present a dilemma for the future use and management of rangelands, with far-reaching consequences for society and the global environment. It divides those for whom agricultural productivity is the priority from those whose priority is to diminish global warming. Striking some kind of balance will require not only sound science, but also open dialogue between stakeholders with conflicting perspectives and needs. This planning proposal is a collaborative and mulit-institutional effort that will build the foundation for a successful Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) Regional Coordinated Agricultural Project (CAP) that: 1) develops methods of optimizing rangeland productivity, ecosystem services, and carbon sequestration under changing climatic conditions; 2) builds common ground among stakeholders through effective extension and education efforts; and 3) enhances understanding of the combined effects of human uses, land fragmentation, and woody encroachment on rangeland ecosystems under climate change.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
50%
Developmental
50%
Goals / Objectives
With the ultimate goal of developing a Rangeland CAP in mind, we have developed specific planning grant objectives as follows: 1) Engage stakeholder groups to learn what their key issues are related to climate adaptation and mitigation in the SGP region 2) Establish a multi-disciplinary network of regional collaborators spanning research, extension, and education 3) Evaluate existing work and literature relevant to the proposed Rangeland CAP 4) Identify knowledge gaps 5) Establish research, extension, and education priorities and clearly identify the scope, objectives and milestones for the larger project 6) Develop a plan for communication, coordination, and synthesis to insure maximum integration across disciplines and programs, and a high degree of data quality and management
Project Methods
The principle outcome of this planning grant will be the development of a compelling and highly competitive proposal for the AFRI CAP. Other tangible outcomes will be (1) amore integrated science, policy, and stakeholder community in the SGP relative toclimate change issues on rangelands and (2) identification of the most importantchallenges facing rangelands in the SGP and a roadmap for addressing these challenges. The basic approach for achieving the six objectives of this planning grant will be a series of workshops (Fig. 4) to: (1) Engage stakeholder groups to learn what their key issues are related to climate adaptation and mitigation in the SGP region (2) Establish a multi-disciplinary network of regional collaborators spanning research, extension, and education (3) Evaluate existing work and literature relevant to the proposed Rangeland CAP (4) Identify knowledge gaps and develop standardized strategies and methodologies for conducting collaborative research, extension, and education (5) Establish research, extension, and education priorities and clearly identify the scope, objectives and milestones for the larger project (6) Develop a plan for communication, coordination, and synthesis to insure maximum integration across disciplines and programs, and a high degree of data quality and management These focused meetings are needed to ensure coordination and full integration of planning activities. The outcomes of the workshops will serve as guides for the development of a full-scale CAP. They will, therefore, need to reflect priorities, activities, and objectives for the broader SGP region, both for research, and for extension and education. The workshops will be coordinated, with results and findings from one informing the next, and so on. The management team, consisting of the Project Director and seven co-Project Investigators, will meet first with stakeholder groups to gather input on their perspectives and needs (Objective 1). Stakeholder participants will be recruited from, at a minimum, producers, the research, educational, and extension communities, as well as from industry, special interest groups, environmental groups, and local and state government. The meetings will be publicized via County Extension communications, local newspaper announcements, university web sites, and personal communication. Participants will be chosen far enough in advance of the workshops to have the opportunity to provide suggested topics of discussion via a dedicated web site. Guided roundtable discussions that focus on specific topics of interest will allow stakeholders to provide input on a wide range of issues. Participants will be encouraged to continue to provide input through the web site for some period of time following the workshops. We propose to hold three stakeholder workshops, to be located in three different sites representing the diversity of the SCP region.