Classifying Ecological Types and Evaluating Site Degradation

Weixelman, Dave A.; Zamudio, Desiderio C.; Zamudio, Karen A.; Tausch, Robin J.

doi:10.2307/4003735

Cited by 20 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 29 publications

(14 reference statements)

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“…This contrasts with the other study areas and literature based on areas where deforestation is a threat to sustainability (e.g., Ottichilo 1990). In addition, contrary to evidence in the literature citing decreased soil infiltration rate as a degradation indicator (e.g., Tongway 1994, Bellows 1995, Weixelman et al 1997, Sharma 1998, pastoralists viewed this as a positive sign, indicative of more consolidated sand with higher organic matter content. This is due to differences in soil type between this study area (dominated by fine sands) and those from other dryland regions.…”

Section: Indicator Identification and Evaluationcontrasting

confidence: 86%

Participatory Indicator Development: What Can Ecologists and Local Communities Learn From Each Other

Reed

Dougill

Baker

2008

Ecological Applications

238

164

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Abstract. Given the growing popularity of indicators among policy-makers to measure progress toward conservation and sustainability goals, there is an urgent need to develop indicators that can be used accurately by both specialists and nonspecialists, drawing from the knowledge possessed by each group. This paper uses a case study from the Kalahari, Botswana to show how participatory and ecological methods can be combined to develop robust indicators that are accessible to a range of users to monitor and enhance the sustainability of land management. First, potential environmental sustainability indicators were elicited from pastoralists in three study sites. This knowledge was then evaluated by pastoralists, before being tested empirically using ecological and soil-based techniques. Despite the wealth of local knowledge about indicators, this knowledge was thinly spread. The knowledge was more holistic than published indicator lists for monitoring rangelands, encompassing vegetation, soil, livestock, wild animal, and socioeconomic indicators. Pastoralist preferences for vegetation and livestock indicators match recent shifts in ecological theory suggesting that livestock populations reach equilibrium with key forage resources in semiarid environments. Although most indicators suggested by pastoralists were validated through empirical work (e.g., decreased grass cover and soil organic matter content, and increased abundance of Acacia mellifera and thatching grass), they were not always sufficiently accurate or reliable for objective degradation assessment, showing that local knowledge cannot be accepted unquestioningly. We suggest that, by combining participatory and ecological approaches, it is possible to derive more accurate and relevant indicators than either approach could achieve alone.

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Section: Indicator Identification and Evaluationcontrasting

confidence: 86%

Participatory Indicator Development: What Can Ecologists and Local Communities Learn From Each Other

Reed

Dougill

Baker

2008

Ecological Applications

238

164

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“…tridentata and other shrubs (see Ganskopp 1986). Overgrazing and other perturbations can alter species composition of the dry meadow ecological type (Weixelman et al 1997), but will not change the physiognomy unless the water table drops.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Restoring riparian meadows currently dominated by Artemisa using alternative state concepts ‐ above‐ground vegetation response

Wright

Chambers

2002

Applied Vegetation Science

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Abstract. Livestock overgrazing and stream incision in the western USA often result in encroachment and dominance of Artemisia tridentata ssp. tridentata (Big sagebrush) in riparian areas that formerly supported meadows. To define the alternative states and thresholds for these ecosystems, we conducted a restoration experiment that included sites with high, intermediate or low water tables. We used a paired‐plot approach in which one plot on each site was burned and seeded with native grasses and forbs typical of naturally occurring dry meadow and Artemisia/Leymus cinereus ecological types, while adjacent unburned plots served as controls. Sites with high and intermediate water tables had greater initial abundances of perennial grasses typical of dry meadows, such as Leymus triticoides and Poa secunda ssp. juncifolia, and these species increased after the burn. In contrast, sites with low water tables were dominated by annual forbs such as Chenopo‐dium album and Descurainia pinnata after the burn. Biomass increased progressively from 1997 to 1999 on burned plots, while controls showed little change. Burning effects were microsite specific, with former Artemisia microsites exhibiting lower biomass than interspaces initially, but similar or higher biomass by the third year. Establishment of seeded species was low and species composition was determined largely by pre‐burn vegetation. Artemisia dominated sites with high water tables appear to represent an alternative state of the dry meadow ecological type, while sites with low water table sites have crossed an abiotic threshold governed by water tables and represent a new ecological type. Burning is an effective tool for restoring relatively high water table sites, but low water table sites will require burning and seeding with species adapted to more xeric conditions.

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“…and willow (Salix spp.) in the riparian zone (Weixelman et al 1997, Viers et al 2013). Our analyses focused on willow (Salix spp.).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Patterns and dynamics of vegetation recovery following grazing cessation in the California golden trout habitat

2017

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Abstract. In 1978, the Golden Trout Wilderness area was established to protect the California golden trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss aguabonita)-a vulnerable subspecies of the rainbow trout that is endemic to California-and its habitat, which is currently restricted to a few streams within high-elevation meadows in the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range. Because of the deleterious effects of livestock grazing on riparian vegetation in the golden trout habitat (occurring since the 1800s), meadow restoration activities were initiated in 1991, including cattle exclusion. There has been renewed discussion about re-opening these public lands to livestock grazing, and impact assessment studies are needed to inform decision makers about the potential consequences. Thus, we estimated the recovery potential of the golden trout habitat by measuring the height of riparian vegetation within areas that have been grazed vs. closed to grazing ("rested") since 1991. We found that cattle exclusion is effective at favoring riparian vegetation growth, but that vegetation recovery from grazing could take several decades in these sensitive habitats as some "rested" areas have yet to recover to full vegetation height, even after 25 yr of rest.

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Classifying Ecological Types and Evaluating Site Degradation

Cited by 20 publications

References 29 publications

Participatory Indicator Development: What Can Ecologists and Local Communities Learn From Each Other

Participatory Indicator Development: What Can Ecologists and Local Communities Learn From Each Other

Restoring riparian meadows currently dominated by Artemisa using alternative state concepts ‐ above‐ground vegetation response

Patterns and dynamics of vegetation recovery following grazing cessation in the California golden trout habitat

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