Mark W. Brunson

A FRAMEWORK FOR UNDERSTANDING SOCIAL SCIENCE CONTRIBUTIONS TO ECOSYSTEM MANAGEMENT

We propose a framework for understanding the role that the social sciences should play in ecosystem management. Most of the ecosystem management literature as- sumes that scientific understanding of ecosystems is solely the purview of natural scientists. While the evolving principles of ecosystem management recognize that people play an important role, social considerations are usually limited to political and decision-making processes and to development of environmental education. This view is incomplete. The social science aspect of ecosystem management has two distinct components: one that concerns greater public involvement in the ecosystem management decision-making pro- cess, and one that concerns integrating social considerations into the science of under- standing ecosystems. Ecosystem management decisions based primarily on biophysical factors can polarize people, making policy processes more divisive than usual. Ecological data must be supplemented with scientific analysis of the key social factors relevant to a particular ecosystem. Objective social science analysis should be included on an equal basis with ecological science inquiry and with data from public involvement. A conceptual framework is presented to communicate to ecological scientists the potential array of social science contributions to ecosystem management.

Geographic Variation in Social Acceptability of Wildland Fuels Management in the Western United States

Contemporary natural resource management requires consideration of the social acceptability of management practices and conditions. Agencies wishing to measure, respond to, and influence social acceptability must understand the nuances of public perception regarding controversial issues. This study explores social acceptability judgments about one such issue: reduction of wildland fuel hazards on federal lands in the western United States. Citizens were surveyed in four locations where fire has been a significant ecological disturbance agent and public land agencies propose to reduce wildland fuel levels and wildfire hazards via prescribed burning, thinning, brush removal, and/or livestock grazing. Respondents in different locations differed in their knowledge about fire and fuel issues as well in their acceptability judgments. Differences are associated with location-specific social and environmental factors as well as individual beliefs. Results argue against using “one-size-fits-all” policies or information strategies about fuels management.

Adoption of range management innovations by Utah ranchers

Abstract Improving the sustainability of grazed rangelands requires that landowners adopt management innovations. We interviewed Utah ranchers to better understand innovation adoption among range livestock operators, and ultimately to suggest improvements in content and delivery of outreach activities. A 2-phase, qualitative social science research method was used to encourage discovery of information unlikely to be revealed via surveys and to expand the application of adoption theory to range livestock production. In line with previous research, innovation was related to full-time ranch operation, dependence on ranch income, anticipated future of the ranch, and extent of social networks. Barriers to innovation included inadequate time and resources, peer influences, and perceived drawbacks of potential innovations (e.g., difficulty of pilot-testing new grazing systems, or poor cost-benefit ratios of vegetation treatments). In contrast to previous studies, innovators were motivated by a desire to demonstrate stewardship to land managers and the public. Previously unidentified barriers included spatial characteristics of the ranch enterprise and perceptions about political/legal constraints.

Recreation substitutability: A research agenda

Abstract Recreation substitutability has proved to be a difficult research topic, yet the concept still holds promise for management of wildland settings. That promise is brought nearer to realization by recent progress in defining the substitutability concept and describing the array of potential substitution strategies. This article proposes a research agenda that (1) builds on recent developments concerning substitutability and several related topics and (2) addresses substantive questions about how and why different strategies are chosen. Issues for research include criteria for judging equivalency of substitutes; tradeoffs between substitution strategies; factors influencing the choice of nonequivalent (less satisfying) substitutes; the role of place attachment and perceived setting “uniqueness” in substitute choice; the role of time constraints; links between intended substitutes and actual choices; and substitutability as a factor in ceasing participation.

The Sagebrush Steppe Treatment Evaluation Project (SageSTEP): a test of state-and-transition theory

The Sagebrush Steppe Treatment Evaluation Project (SageSTEP) is a comprehensive, integrated, long-term study that evaluates the ecological effects of fire and fire surrogate treatments designed to reduce fuel and to restore sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) communities of the Great Basin and surrounding areas. SageSTEP has several features that make it ideal for testing hypotheses from state-and-transition theory: it is long-term, experimental, multisite, and multivariate, and treatments are applied across condition gradients, allowing for potential identification of biotic thresholds. The project will determine the conditions under which sagebrush steppe ecological communities recover on their own following fuel treatment versus the communities crossing ecological thresholds, which requires expensive active restoration.

Sources of variation in attitudes and beliefs about federal rangeland management

Paper presented at the Fifth International Symposium on Society and Resource Management, June 7-10, 1994, Fort Collins.

Cascading events in linked ecological and socioeconomic systems

Cascading events that start at small spatial scales and propagate non-linearly through time to influence larger areas often have major impacts on ecosystem goods and services. Events such as wildfires and hurricanes are increasing in frequency and magnitude as systems become more connected through globalization processes. We need to improve our understanding of these events in order to predict their occurrence, minimize potential impacts, and allow for strategic recovery. Here, we synthesize information about cascading events in systems located throughout the Americas. We discuss a variety of examples of cascading events that share a common feature: they are often driven by linked ecological and human processes across scales. In this era of globalization, we recommend studies that explicitly examine connections across scales and examine the role of connectivity among non-contiguous as well as contiguous areas. Los eventos consecutivos en cascada que empiezan a pequenas escalas espaciales y que se propagan...

Forest Service Grazing Permittee Perceptions of the Endangered Species Act in Southeastern Arizona

Abstract This study reports the results of a survey of Coronado National Forest grazing permittees about their attitudes regarding the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and the management of threatened and endangered (T&E) species on grazing allotments in southeastern Arizona. A majority of respondents perceived negative impacts from ESA implementation. However, the degree of impact remained independent of the number of listed species on allotments and of the potential for restrictions on those allotments. Perceptions of negative impact and attitudes toward T&E species policies were more related to attitudes toward federal regulation. Permittees broadly supported the idea of species conservation and expressed willingness to work with federal agencies but did not perceive the federal agencies as having the same responsiveness to their concerns. A more proactive agency strategy with science-based, focused recovery objectives coupled with economic incentives could improve support for species recovery efforts.

Behavioral Factors in Rotational Grazing Systems

Many in the range profession are perplexed by the apparent discrepancy between experimental studies suggesting that rotational grazing carries no advantage over continuous grazing1 and the observations of ranchers and range mana gers who have personally seen benefi ts for livestock pro duction and plant communities by shifting to a rotational system.2,3 We believe one reason for this seeming contradiction is that research on plant and animal production is typically designed to control for the effects of behavior of grazing animals and their owners. As researchers who have spent many years studying the behavior of range livestock and people, we argue that understanding human and animal behavior as it relates to grazing management can help to bridge the gap between science and practice. In this paper we discuss how livestock behavior factors (such as prior experience and stress) and managers’ learning processes can infl uence the outcomes of grazing management practices, why a standard experimental approach may not detect those infl uences, and how an improved knowledge of behavior can help both ranchers and researchers achieve their goals with respect to rotational grazing systems.

Multidisciplinary, Multisite Evaluation of Alternative Sagebrush Steppe Restoration Treatments: The SageSTEP Project

This special issue presents short-term ecological effects of restoration treatments imposed as part of the Sagebrush Steppe Treatment Evaluation Project (SageSTEP), and summarizes public attitude survey results related to restoration efforts. Funded by the US Joint Fire Science Program (JFSP; 2005– 2011), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM; 2011 to present), the National Interagency Fire Center (2011 to present), and the US Fish and Wildlife Service (2010), SageSTEP was designed and implemented to provide treatment-related information to managers concerned about the rapidly changing condition of sagebrush steppe ecosystems in the US Interior West (McIver et al. 2010). At lower elevations, cheatgrass has become more dominant at the expense of native perennial bunchgrasses, in some locations shifting fire return intervals from.50–100 yr to,20 yr, and greatly increasing mean fire size (Whisenant 1990; Miller et al. 2011; Balch et al. 2012). At higher elevations, pinon pine and juniper woodlands have expanded and displaced sagebrush and other shrubs, in some places shifting fire return intervals from 10–50 yr to..50 yr, and significantly increasing mean fire severity (Miller and Heyerdahl 2008). Federal, state, and private land managers and owners have for many years attempted to arrest the conversion of sagebrush steppe communities into woodland and annual grassland and to restore native herbaceous communities by applying treatments such as prescribed fire, mowing, chaining, cutting, mastication, or herbicides. Substantial published information exists on the efficacy of such treatments in sagebrush steppe, but most studies are site-specific, short-term (Miller et al. 2013), and focused on few variables. Recognizing this, the BLM, in collaboration with the JFSP, solicited sagebrush steppe scientists and managers to design SageSTEP, a study that provides multisite, multidisciplinary, long-term information on treatment outcomes over a range of ecological conditions, and that also provides insight on cost and public acceptance of management practices. A planning grant was provided by JFSP in 2003 to design SageSTEP, and the study was ultimately funded by JFSP in 2005. SageSTEP addresses four principle objectives, each linked to one or more of the design features of the study: