| Popis: |
Ecosystem services are benefits humans obtain as a result of ecosystem processes and conditions. Rangelands in the Intermountain West are increasingly expected to provide ecosystem services to the general public as well as ranchers. Land management agencies have created management plans to manage for a suite of ecosystem services including those necessary for livestock production as well as ecosystem function and human appreciation. Because ranchers are often in charge of implementing these plans, there is a need to understand the values they place on the array of ecosystem services they are required to manage. Such understanding may ensure that ecosystem service management goals align with rancher management goals as closely as possible, leading to better outcomes for ranchers and the environment. During the summer and fall of 2016, we conducted a two-phase study to understand the values ranchers place on ecosystem services. Participants were ranchers throughout the Great Basin region. First, we conducted interviews to uncover themes which govern management motivations. Ranchers highlighted a variety of services as part of their management schema, which we placed into three management motivation categories. The categories include: livestock production, legacy preservation, and destiny control. These common themes seem to determine how the majority of decisions are made on livestock operations. Next, we used these themes to develop a mail survey, which we administered to 1,000 ranchers throughout the Great Basin. We analyzed survey data to further understand the themes uncovered during interviews. We expect results from this research will aid agencies such as the BLM, USFS and NRCS in understanding rancher motivations for management. By understanding which ecosystem services are highly valued by ranchers and which overlap with those desired by the public, managers may be able to develop management plans that more directly incorporate the values of the ranchers that steward rangelands. |
