Homes on the Range: Cooperative Conservation and Environmental Change on California's Privately Owned Hardwood Rangelands

Alagona, Peter S.

doi:10.1093/envhis/13.2.325

Cited by 10 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…In remnant populations, adult mortality exceeds recent recruitment of new trees (Brown and Davis 1991, Sork et al 2002, Kelly et al 2005, Whipple et al 2011). This population decline, combined with conversion of valley oak habitats to agricultural and residential uses, has motivated many public and private conservation and restoration projects (Giusti et al 2004, Alagona 2008.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Consumer control of oak demography in a Mediterranean-climate savanna

2011

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Abstract. Tree recruitment is rare and oak populations are declining in many Mediterranean-climate oak savannas. Factors affecting acorn production, seedling establishment and initial seedling growth have been much studied in short-term experiments. However, fecundity and early survival rates have not been placed in a demographic framework that also considers sapling survival and growth and adult tree mortality. We use matrix models and life table response experiments to analyze long-term experimental and observation data on California valley oak (Quercus lobata Neé) near its southern range limit in Santa Barbara County to answer three questions: (1) How sensitive is oak population growth rate to variation in acorn production and initial seedling establishment vs. sapling survivorship and growth? (2) How do mammalian consumers-specifically, cattle, deer and rodents-impact valley oak seedling establishment and sapling survival and growth? (3) Can vertebrate consumers account for the observed population decline of valley oak in savannas in its southern range? We find that population growth is far more sensitive to consumermediated variation in sapling survivorship and growth than to variation in fecundity or seedling establishment and that consumers exert strong influence on the demography of the species. Deterministic, finite population growth rate (k) is ,1 for unprotected plants and for plants that are protected from cattle but still exposed to mule deer and rodents. Population growth rate increases to 1.03 with protection from both cattle and deer, mainly because plants are able to quickly reach the tree layer when they are protected from ungulate browsing. Population growth rate jumps to 1.15 for plants protected from both ungulates and rodents as a result of increased survivorship and height growth of established individuals and because of increased seedling establishment during the first year. Our experimental findings are consistent with observed patterns in natural populations in Santa Barbara County, where tree recruitment is rare in both grazed and non-grazed savannas but more common in areas such as roadsides that are refuges from cattle and deer.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Consumer control of oak demography in a Mediterranean-climate savanna

2011

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“…High real-estate values in California over the past decade have led to high levels of conversion of agricultural land to housing and development, especially due to migration to exurban oak woodlands (Huntsinger et al 2004), which are predominantly on private lands. In addition to the urbanization of oak woodlands, the areal extent of vineyards in California doubled during the 1990s, principally carving out new fields in areas that were formerly privately-held oak woodlands (Alagona 2008). Climate change is predicted to affect oak species distributions, which will probably move upslope (Kueppers et al 2005).…”

Section: Current Sociocultural Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is clear that both Iberian and Californian landowners and ranchers are willing to withstand some opportunity costs to preserve their 'way of life' and what Campos-Palacin et al (2002) named existence and option values. In California, the Rangeland Resolution recognizes the benefits that private ranching, managed sustainably, may bring to oak woodland conservation (Alagona 2008). However, both woodlands are likely to be affected by climate change (Lavorel et al 1998;Lavorel 1999;Kueppers et al 2005), fire (Keeley 2001) and drought frequency (Acacio et al 2009), which may impact their persistence and the resources they produce (Huntsinger et al 2004).…”

Section: Analysing the Sustainability Of Oak Woodland Sesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It has been argued that conservation tools based on pristine environments are not sufficient to preserve Mediterranean ecosystems (Alagona 2008;Castro 2009), and that cultural arguments for their preservation are as important as socioeconomic and conservation measures (Pinto-Correia & Vos 2004). To overcome the limitations in existing policies, transdisciplinary ecological planning efforts have been called for (Alagona 2008) that would combine a region's natural and cultural aspects using holistic and analytic approaches (Carmel & Naveh 2002). One such framework involves the analysis of the socioecological systems (SES) (sensu Ostrom 2007Ostrom , 2009, which contends that the sustainability of common resources is dependent upon and assessed through the analysis of a system's social, economic and political settings, resources and units, governance, users, its interactions and outcomes, and related ecosystems.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Comparing culture and ecology: conservation planning of oak woodlands in Mediterranean landscapes of Portugal and California

Santos

Thorne

2010

Envir. Conserv.

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SUMMARYMediterranean ecosystems are biodiversity hotspots, however translating conservation need into implementation has been hindered by their function as working landscapes that integrate both human and natural components. This paper compares oak woodland working landscapes in California and Portugal: can conservation policy be reshaped to conserve Mediterranean oak woodland ecosystems with differing sociopolitical cultural contexts? Each oak woodland's cultural-historical legacy and socioecological system (SES) is described, and how each system can cross-inform improvements to conservation policies is assessed. The SES analysis shows that oak woodlands are managed to maximize revenue from one or more of four resources: forestry, rangeland, agriculture and natural areas. Sustainability of extractable resources may be threatened by replacement rate, land-use history and interdependence with other resources. Non-extractable resources (natural areas) are more volatile and sustainable management is dependent on the voluntary nature of collective-choice rules. Conservation planning and implementation require attention to the characteristic heterogeneity of oak woodlands and to the processes that generate biodiversity, such as fire and regeneration. Conservation plans should aim for the preservation of oak woodland functions (for example multiple use systems) and cultural characteristics (such as keeping people on the land), and governmental and public recognition of the value of preserving these woodlands.

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