Rangeland Ecology & Management

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HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE: LACK OF COMMUNICATION, PARTNERSHIPS, AND SCIENCE, AND HOW THINGS BEGAN TO CHANGE
Author
Pellant, Mike
Publisher
Society for Range Management
Publication Year
2018
Body

Research in the Great Basin was initiated at the beginning of the 19th century to address the degradation of millions of acres of range and forest lands caused by unrestricted livestock grazing.� The goal of these early research and rehabilitation efforts was to reestablish desirable forage species to support the livestock industry and reduce soil erosion. �Research was conducted primarily by scientists from federal agencies and universities with extension specialists as the primary means for science delivery. This model generally persisted until the 1970�s when several environmental laws were passed that shifted management of public lands from a focus on commodity production to a broader resource values approach.� Science to support management moved to a more interdisciplinary approach to address complex resource values at larger landscape scales.� Around this same time, invasive plant species, (poster child is cheatgrass�(Bromus tectorum)) and wildfires increased in extent and in impacts to human and natural resources. �Collaboration between scientists and land managers was strengthened to better address the spatial scale of issues as well as these new threats to functional ecosystems and their inhabitants. Examples of collaborative partnerships linking science and management will be presented along with the associated positive outcomes. �This collaborative approach to addressing landscape scale issues will greatly reduce the potential for a future �dust bowl� catastrophe in the Great Basin.

Language
English
Resource Type
Text
Document Type
Conference Proceedings
Conference Name
SRM Reno, NV