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- Social-ecological systems (4)
- Borana Plateau (3)
- Climate change (3)
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- Mixed methods (3)
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- Utah (3)
- Agriculture (2)
- Borana People (2)
- Brighter Future (2)
- Bureau of Land Management (2)
- Coupled infrastructure systems (2)
- Drought (2)
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- Rangeland Management (2)
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- Adaptive capacity (1)
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- Administrative boundaries (1)
- Adults (1)
- Agricultural landscape changes (1)
- Algorithms (1)
- Allocation of biomass (1)
- Alternatives (1)
- Asymmetry (1)
- Attention (1)
- Bajura District (1)
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Articles 1 - 30 of 75
Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Insights Into The Characteristics Of Outdoor Recreationists In Utah From A Statewide Survey, Jordan W. Smith, Nate Trauntvein, Casey Trout
Insights Into The Characteristics Of Outdoor Recreationists In Utah From A Statewide Survey, Jordan W. Smith, Nate Trauntvein, Casey Trout
Environment and Society Faculty Publications
Understanding the characteristics and preferences of outdoor recreationists in Utah can inform the administrative, funding, and management decisions of the many entities who provide outdoor recreation opportunities within the state. There is currently a lack of data on characteristics, preferences, and opinions of the state’s outdoor recreating public. As one component of the analysis supporting the development of the state’s outdoor recreation strategic plan, we launched a short online survey to begin to address this need. The survey was administered in spring of 2023 to an online panel of individuals who indicated that they are current residents of Utah and …
Allocation Of U.S. Biomass Production To Food, Feed, Fiber, Fuel And Exports, Christopher L. Lant, Suman Paudel, Kaeli Mueller, Grace Larson, Gustavo A. Ovando-Montejo, Jennifer E. Givens
Allocation Of U.S. Biomass Production To Food, Feed, Fiber, Fuel And Exports, Christopher L. Lant, Suman Paudel, Kaeli Mueller, Grace Larson, Gustavo A. Ovando-Montejo, Jennifer E. Givens
Environment and Society Faculty Publications
This paper analyzes the end uses—food, feed, fiber, fuel, and exports—of biomass production in the U.S. in 1997, 2002, 2007, and 2012. They are also analyzed at the state level in 2012. Biomass production is measured as human appropriation of net primary production (HANPP), an ecological footprint measured as carbon fixed through photosynthesis, derived from data on crop, timber and grazing yields. HANPP was allocated to end uses using publicly available sources from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and internet-based sources publishing data on agricultural trade. HANPP was 717–834 megatons (MT) of carbon per year, which comprised 515–615 MT of …
Life Paths To Leading Systems-Level Change: Higher Education’S Pitfalls And Potential, Roslynn Brain Mccann, Kaitlyn Spangler, Andrew Millison
Life Paths To Leading Systems-Level Change: Higher Education’S Pitfalls And Potential, Roslynn Brain Mccann, Kaitlyn Spangler, Andrew Millison
Environment and Society Faculty Publications
Global protests calling for accelerated climate change action, social justice, and racial equity have been shifting long- standing conversations and policies from local to national scales. Yet many activists can become psychologically drained by the frustration and loss of hope in fighting against structural oppression. This study was comprised of semi-structured qualitative interviews spanning across the United States with 25 leaders and practitioners in permaculture design, a solutions-based ecological design framework to enact positive, systems-level environmental and social change. The objective was to better understand their life paths toward such work. The research showed that higher education is not adequately …
Social And Cultural Dynamics Of Non-Native Invasive Species, John Schelhas, Janice Alexander, Mark W. Brunson, Tommy Cabe, Alycia Crall, Michael J. Dockry, Marla R. Emery, Susan J. Frankel, Nina Hapner, Caleb R. Hickman, Rebecca Jordan, Michael J. Lavoie, Zhao Ma, Joe Starinchak, Jelena Vukomanovic
Social And Cultural Dynamics Of Non-Native Invasive Species, John Schelhas, Janice Alexander, Mark W. Brunson, Tommy Cabe, Alycia Crall, Michael J. Dockry, Marla R. Emery, Susan J. Frankel, Nina Hapner, Caleb R. Hickman, Rebecca Jordan, Michael J. Lavoie, Zhao Ma, Joe Starinchak, Jelena Vukomanovic
Environment and Society Faculty Publications
Invasive species and their management represent a complex issue spanning social and ecological systems. Invasive species present existing and potential threats to the nature of ecosystems and the products and services that people receive from them. Humans can both cause and address problems through their complex interactions with ecosystems. Yet, public awareness of invasive species and their impact is highly uneven, and public support for management and control of invasive species can be variable. Public perceptions often differ markedly from the perspectives of concerned scientists, and perceptions and support for management are influenced by a wide range of social and …
Coupled Ecological And Management Connectivity Across Administrative Boundaries In Undeveloped Landscapes, Clare E. Aslan, Mark W. Brunson, Benjamin A. Sikes, Rebecca S. Epanchin-Niell, Samuel Veloz, David M. Theobald, Brett G. Dickson
Coupled Ecological And Management Connectivity Across Administrative Boundaries In Undeveloped Landscapes, Clare E. Aslan, Mark W. Brunson, Benjamin A. Sikes, Rebecca S. Epanchin-Niell, Samuel Veloz, David M. Theobald, Brett G. Dickson
Environment and Society Faculty Publications
Human-induced ecological boundaries, or anthropogenic ecotones, may arise where administrative boundaries meet on undeveloped lands. Landscape-level ecological processes related to factors such as fire, invasive species, grazing, resource extraction, wildlife, and water may be affected due to unique management strategies adopted by each administrative unit. Over time, different management can result in discernible ecological differences (e.g., species composition or soil characteristics). Thus, fragmentation in the management landscape can correspond to ecological fragmentation. Different ecological patterns may emerge due to an increase in the number of management units in a region, or due to an increase in the number of different …
Impacts On Climate Change On Multiple Use Management Of Bureau Of Land Management Land In The Intermountain West, Usa, Elaine M. Brice, Brett A. Miller, Hongchao Zhang, Kirsten Goldstein, Scott N. Zimmer, Guenchik J. Grosklos, Patrick Belmont, Courtney G. Flint, Jennifer E. Givens, Peter B. Adler, Mark W. Brunson, Jordan W. Smith
Impacts On Climate Change On Multiple Use Management Of Bureau Of Land Management Land In The Intermountain West, Usa, Elaine M. Brice, Brett A. Miller, Hongchao Zhang, Kirsten Goldstein, Scott N. Zimmer, Guenchik J. Grosklos, Patrick Belmont, Courtney G. Flint, Jennifer E. Givens, Peter B. Adler, Mark W. Brunson, Jordan W. Smith
Environment and Society Faculty Publications
Although natural resource managers are concerned about climate change, many are unable to adequately incorporate climate change science into their adaptation strategies or management plans, and are not always aware of or do not always employ the most current scientific knowledge. One of the most prominent natural resource management agencies in the United States is the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), which is tasked with managing over 248 million acres (>1 million km2) of public lands for multiple, often conflicting, uses. Climate change will affect the sustainability of many of these land uses and could further increase …
Engaging Faculty In Preparing Students For Non-Academic Environmental Careers, Carmen R. Cid, Mark W. Brunson
Engaging Faculty In Preparing Students For Non-Academic Environmental Careers, Carmen R. Cid, Mark W. Brunson
Environment and Society Faculty Publications
As a biology major at New York University, I was introduced to ecology in a course that bused the class out of New York University's Greenwich Village campus every weekend, to investigate biodiversity patterns in nearby forests and wetlands. After a day crossing bogs and walking through forests, I would take the subway home, hip boots in hand, reflecting on how the day's activities connected to my routine city life. Engaging others in understanding the city connections to adjacent habitats became my life's work. As Dean of Arts and Sciences at a public liberal arts university, I encourage faculty and …
Attendance Trends Threaten Future Operations Of America’S State Park Systems, Jordan Smith, Emily J. Wilkins, Yu-Fai Leung
Attendance Trends Threaten Future Operations Of America’S State Park Systems, Jordan Smith, Emily J. Wilkins, Yu-Fai Leung
Environment and Society Faculty Publications
This research examines how the operating expenditures of America’s state park systems will be affected by a continued growth in attendance consistent with observed trends as well as potential climate futures. We construct a longitudinal panel dataset (1984–2017) describing the operations and characteristics of all 50 state park systems. These data are analyzed with a time-varying stochastic frontier model. Estimates from the model are used to forecast operating expenditures to midcentury under four different scenarios. The first scenario assumes annual attendance within each state park system will continue to grow (or decline) at the same average annual rate that it …
Dynamics Of Utah's Agricultural Landscapes In Response To Urbanization: A Comparison Between Irrigated And Non-Irrigated Agricultural Lands, Enjie Li, Joanna Endter-Wada, Shujuan Li
Dynamics Of Utah's Agricultural Landscapes In Response To Urbanization: A Comparison Between Irrigated And Non-Irrigated Agricultural Lands, Enjie Li, Joanna Endter-Wada, Shujuan Li
Environment and Society Faculty Publications
In the literature on how urbanization affects agricultural landscapes, little attention has been focused on differentiating and comparing the changes in irrigated agricultural landscapes to non-irrigated agricultural landscapes. Additionally, there have been few applications of landscape metrics for understanding agricultural landscape changes. The objectives of this study were to:(1) analyze and compare the changes of both irrigated and non-irrigated agricultural lands in a rapidly growing region; (2) identify the spatial patterns and hotspots of these changes; and,(3) examine the spatial relationships between changes in agricultural landscapes and urban development. We adopted landscape metrics and gradient analysis to assess where and …
Utah State Capitol Grounds Landscape Water Use Assessment, Joanna Endter-Wada, Diana T. Glenn, Chris Garrard, Ellie Leydsman Mcginty, Kelly Kopp, Jennie Hoover
Utah State Capitol Grounds Landscape Water Use Assessment, Joanna Endter-Wada, Diana T. Glenn, Chris Garrard, Ellie Leydsman Mcginty, Kelly Kopp, Jennie Hoover
Environment and Society Faculty Publications
This USU research and Extension report contains an analysis of landscape water use for the Utah State Capitol grounds. It is being provided in response to a legislative request for this information. The Capitol grounds crew requested and received a Water Check in July and August of 2018. It was provided through the Water Check program affiliated with the Center for Water Efficient Landscaping (CWEL) at Utah State University (USU) Extension. The Water Check program has been offered under contract with Metropolitan Water District of Salt Lake & Sandy since 2009 and delivered to customers in the Salt Lake City …
Extension-Based Community Engagement Project Contributions To Landscape Architecture Core Competencies And Professional Values, Ole Sleipness, Jake Powell, David Anderson, David Evans, Roslynn Mccann, Shuolei Chen
Extension-Based Community Engagement Project Contributions To Landscape Architecture Core Competencies And Professional Values, Ole Sleipness, Jake Powell, David Anderson, David Evans, Roslynn Mccann, Shuolei Chen
Environment and Society Faculty Publications
This study evaluates the contribution of Extension-based community engagement design projects to the development of core technical competencies and professional values in the landscape architecture program at Utah State University. Many university design programs--including landscape architecture--employ community engagement to address local and regional design dilemmas. Programs within traditional agriculture schools often frame these activities as contributory to their institutions' land-grant missions. Engaged scholarship is well enumerated within the literature of landscape architecture. However, little has been published on how Extension facilitates these engagements or its contribution to the development of core competencies and professional values. Utah State University's (USU) landscape …
Social Dimensions Of Urban Flood Experience, Exposure, And Concern, Rebecca L. Hale, Courtney Flint, Douglas B. Jackson-Smith, Joanna Endter-Wada
Social Dimensions Of Urban Flood Experience, Exposure, And Concern, Rebecca L. Hale, Courtney Flint, Douglas B. Jackson-Smith, Joanna Endter-Wada
Environment and Society Faculty Publications
With growing urban populations and climate change, urban flooding is an important global issue, even in dryland regions. Flood risk assessments are usually used to identify vulnerable locations and populations, flooding experience patterns, or levels of concern about flooding, but rarely are all of these approaches combined. Furthermore, the social dynamics of flood concerns, exposure, and experience are underexplored. We combined geographic and survey data on household‐level measures of flood experience, concern, and exposure in Utah's urbanizing Wasatch Front. We asked: (1) Are socially vulnerable groups more likely to be exposed to flood risk? (2) How common are flooding experiences …
Rescaling Drought Mitigation In Rural Sri Lanka, Emily Burchfield, Nicholas E. Williams, Amanda Carrico
Rescaling Drought Mitigation In Rural Sri Lanka, Emily Burchfield, Nicholas E. Williams, Amanda Carrico
Environment and Society Faculty Publications
Smallholder farmers with limited governmental and institutional support often devise innovative strategies to mitigate the impacts of water stress on agricultural production. These drought mitigation strategies can be more culturally and ecologically suitable than top-down, “technocratic,” strategies. Top-down drought mitigation approaches, however, often link farmers with significant infrastructures, financial resources, and specialized knowledge. Successful rescaling of localized mitigation practices can integrate the benefits of localized mitigation with resources available at larger scales. This paper describes the rescaling of a Sri Lankan drought mitigation practice known as bethma. We focus on the process of rescaling, specifically what is lost and …
The Uneven Influence Of Climate Trends And Agricultural Policies On Maize Production In The Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico, Sofia Mardero, Bridgit Schmook, Jorge Omar Lopez-Martinez, Lizette Cicero, Claudia Radel, Zachary Christman
The Uneven Influence Of Climate Trends And Agricultural Policies On Maize Production In The Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico, Sofia Mardero, Bridgit Schmook, Jorge Omar Lopez-Martinez, Lizette Cicero, Claudia Radel, Zachary Christman
Environment and Society Faculty Publications
Maize is an important staple crop in Mexico, and the recent intensification of climate variability, in combination with non-climatic forces, has hindered increases in production, especially for smallholder farmers. This article demonstrates the influence of these drivers on maize production trends in the three states of the Yucatan Peninsula using a mixed methods approach of climatic analysis and semi-structured interviews. Climate trend analysis and generalized additive models (GAMs) demonstrate relationships between production and climatic variability, using 1980–2010 precipitation and temperature data. Data from forty interviews with government officials and representatives of farmers' associations (gathered in 2015 and 2016) highlight the …
Biodiverse Cities: The Nursery Industry, Homeowners, And Neighborhood Differences Drive Urban Tree Composition, Meghan L. Avolio, Diane E. Pataki, Tara L. E. Trammell, Joanna Endter-Wada
Biodiverse Cities: The Nursery Industry, Homeowners, And Neighborhood Differences Drive Urban Tree Composition, Meghan L. Avolio, Diane E. Pataki, Tara L. E. Trammell, Joanna Endter-Wada
Environment and Society Faculty Publications
In arid and semiarid regions, where few if any trees are native, city trees are largely human planted. Societal factors such as resident preferences for tree traits, nursery offerings, and neighborhood characteristics are potentially key drivers of urban tree community composition and diversity, however, they remain critically understudied. We investigated patterns of urban tree structure in residential neighborhoods of the Salt Lake Valley, Utah, combining biological variables, such as neighborhood and plant nursery tree species and trait composition, and sociological data comprised of resident surveys and U.S. Census data. We sampled nine neighborhoods that varied in household income and age …
Analyzing Stakeholders’ Workshop Dialogue For Evidence Of Social Learning, Amanda L. Bentley Brymer, J. D. Wulfhorst, Mark W. Brunson
Analyzing Stakeholders’ Workshop Dialogue For Evidence Of Social Learning, Amanda L. Bentley Brymer, J. D. Wulfhorst, Mark W. Brunson
Environment and Society Faculty Publications
After much debate and synthesis, social learning scholarship is entering an era of empirical research. Given the range across individual-, network-, and systems-level perspectives and scales, clear documentation of social learning processes is critical for making claims about social learning outcomes and their impacts. Past studies have relied on participant recall and concept maps to document perceptions of social learning process and outcome. Using an individual-centric perspective and importing ideas from communication and psychology on question-answer learning through conversational agents, we contribute an expanded conceptual framework and qualitative analytical strategy for assessing stakeholder dialogue for evidence of social learning. We …
Effects Of The Structure Of Water Rights On Agricultural Production During Drought: A Spatiotemporal Analysis Of California's Central Valley, Katherine S. Nelson, Emily Burchfield
Effects Of The Structure Of Water Rights On Agricultural Production During Drought: A Spatiotemporal Analysis Of California's Central Valley, Katherine S. Nelson, Emily Burchfield
Environment and Society Faculty Publications
California’s Central Valley region has been called the “bread-basket” of the United States. The region is home to one of the most productive agricultural systems on the planet. Such high levels of agricultural productivity require large amounts of fresh water for irrigation. However, the long-term availability of water required to sustain high levels of agricultural production is being called into question following the latest drought in California. In this paper, we use Bayesian multilevel spatiotemporal modeling techniques to examine the influence of the structure of surface water rights in the Central Valley on agricultural production during the recent drought. California …
The Role Of Diverse Strategies In The Sustainability Of Online Communities, Lingfei Wu, Jacopo A. Baggio, Marco A. Janssen
The Role Of Diverse Strategies In The Sustainability Of Online Communities, Lingfei Wu, Jacopo A. Baggio, Marco A. Janssen
Environment and Society Faculty Publications
Online communities are becoming increasingly important as platforms for large-scale human cooperation. These communities allow users seeking and sharing professional skills to solve problems collaboratively. To investigate how users cooperate to complete a large number of knowledge-producing tasks, we analyze Stack Exchange, one of the largest question and answer systems in the world. We construct attention networks to model the growth of 110 communities in the Stack Exchange system and quantify individual answering strategies using the linking dynamics on attention networks. We identify two answering strategies. Strategy A aims at performing maintenance by doing simple tasks, whereas strategy B aims …
Agricultural Adaptation To Drought In The Sri Lankan Dry Zone, Emily Burchfield, Jonathan Gilligan
Agricultural Adaptation To Drought In The Sri Lankan Dry Zone, Emily Burchfield, Jonathan Gilligan
Environment and Society Faculty Publications
Droughts affect more people than any other natural disaster. Drought severity is not merely a function of precipitation; it emerges from a web of interrelations between human and natural systems. The impacts of drought are equally complex, shifting across temporal scales, economic sectors, and regions. Even in regions with similar hydroclimatic characteristics, there is tremendous variation in the effects of drought. This study combines satellite imagery, geospatial data, and qualitative data to identify the multi-scalar factors that drive variations in agricultural responses to drought. We analyzed eleven years of remotely sensed imagery to identify agricultural areas in which cultivation occurred …
Cache Water District: Risks And Opportunities: Research And Policy Analysis Report On Formation Of A Water Conservancy District In Cache County, Utah, Lisa Welsh, Joanna Endter-Wada
Cache Water District: Risks And Opportunities: Research And Policy Analysis Report On Formation Of A Water Conservancy District In Cache County, Utah, Lisa Welsh, Joanna Endter-Wada
Environment and Society Faculty Publications
In the November 2016 election, Cache County residents will vote on Proposition #11, Formation of the Cache Water District. The question before voters is: Should the Cache Water District be created? Voters can respond “yes” or “no.” The Cache County Water Master Plan was released in 2013. Discussion and analysis conducted through that planning effort suggested that a water conservancy district would be the best organizational structure for Cache County and its municipalities to collectively and cooperatively manage water. Cache County created the Bridgerland Water Conservancy Work Group (BWC Work Group) to draft a purpose statement and bylaws for the …
Water Management Decision Making In The Face Of Multiple Forms Of Uncertainty And Risk, Morey Burnham, Zhao Ma, Joanna Endter-Wada, Tim Bardsley
Water Management Decision Making In The Face Of Multiple Forms Of Uncertainty And Risk, Morey Burnham, Zhao Ma, Joanna Endter-Wada, Tim Bardsley
Environment and Society Faculty Publications
In the Wasatch Range Metropolitan Area of Northern Utah, water management decision makers confront multiple forms of uncertainty and risk. Adapting to these uncertainties and risks is critical for maintaining the long‐term sustainability of the region's water supply. This study draws on interview data to assess the major challenges climatic and social changes pose to Utah's water future, as well as potential solutions. The study identifies the water management adaptation decision‐making space shaped by the interacting institutional, social, economic, political, and biophysical processes that enable and constrain sustainable water management. The study finds water managers and other water actors see …
Explaining Success And Failure In The Commons: The Configural Nature Of Ostrom’S Institutional Design Principles, Jacopo A. Baggio, Allain J. Barnett, Irene Perez-Ibarra, Ute Brady, Elicia Ratajczyk, Nathan Rollins, Cathy Rubiños, Hoon C. Shin, David J. Yu, Rimjhim Aggarwal, John M. Anderies, Marco A. Janssen
Explaining Success And Failure In The Commons: The Configural Nature Of Ostrom’S Institutional Design Principles, Jacopo A. Baggio, Allain J. Barnett, Irene Perez-Ibarra, Ute Brady, Elicia Ratajczyk, Nathan Rollins, Cathy Rubiños, Hoon C. Shin, David J. Yu, Rimjhim Aggarwal, John M. Anderies, Marco A. Janssen
Environment and Society Faculty Publications
Governing common pool resources (CPR) in the face of disturbances such as globalization and climate change is challenging. The outcome of any CPR governance regime is the influenced by local combinations of social, institutional, and biophysical factors, as well as cross-scale interdependencies. In this study, we take a step towards understanding multiple-causation of CPR outcomes by analyzing 1) the co-occurrence of Destign Principles (DP) by activity (irrigation, fishery and forestry), and 2) the combination(s) of DPs leading to social and ecological success. We analyzed 69 cases pertaining to three different activities: irrigation, fishery, and forestry. We find that the importance …
An Iterative Approach To Large-N Case Studies: Insights From Qualitative Analysis Of Quantitative Inconsistencies, Allain J. Barnett, Jacopo A. Baggio, Hoon C. Shin, David J. Yu, Irene Perez-Ibarra, Cathy Rubiños, Ute Brady, Elicia Ratajczyk, Nathan Rollins, Rimjhim Aggarwal, John M. Anderies, Marco A. Janssen
An Iterative Approach To Large-N Case Studies: Insights From Qualitative Analysis Of Quantitative Inconsistencies, Allain J. Barnett, Jacopo A. Baggio, Hoon C. Shin, David J. Yu, Irene Perez-Ibarra, Cathy Rubiños, Ute Brady, Elicia Ratajczyk, Nathan Rollins, Rimjhim Aggarwal, John M. Anderies, Marco A. Janssen
Environment and Society Faculty Publications
Large-N comparative studies have helped common pool resource scholars gain general insights into the factors that influence collective action and governance outcomes. However, these studies are often limited by missing data, and suffer from the methodological limitation that important information is lost when we reduce textual information to quantitative data. This study was motivated by nine case studies that appeared to be inconsistent with the expectation that the presence of Ostrom’s Design Principles increases the likelihood of successful common pool resource governance. These cases highlight the limitations of coding and analysing Large-N case studies. We examine two issues: 1) the …
Challenges And Opportunities In Coding The Commons: Problems, Procedures, And Potential Solutions In Large-N Comparative Case Studies, Elicia Ratajczyk, Ute Brady, Jacopo A. Baggio, Allain J. Barnett, Irene Perez-Ibarra, Nathan Rollins, Cathy Rubiños, Hoon C. Shin, David J. Yu, Rimjhim Aggarwal, John M. Anderies, Marco A. Janssen
Challenges And Opportunities In Coding The Commons: Problems, Procedures, And Potential Solutions In Large-N Comparative Case Studies, Elicia Ratajczyk, Ute Brady, Jacopo A. Baggio, Allain J. Barnett, Irene Perez-Ibarra, Nathan Rollins, Cathy Rubiños, Hoon C. Shin, David J. Yu, Rimjhim Aggarwal, John M. Anderies, Marco A. Janssen
Environment and Society Faculty Publications
On-going efforts to understand the dynamics of coupled social-ecological (or more broadly, coupled infrastructure) systems and common pool resources have led to the generation of numerous datasets based on a large number of case studies. This data has facilitated the identification of important factors and fundamental principles which increase our understanding of such complex systems. However, the data at our disposal are often not easily comparable, have limited scope and scale, and are based on disparate underlying frameworks inhibiting synthesis, meta-analysis, and the validation of findings. Research efforts are further hampered when case inclusion criteria, variable definitions, coding schema, and …
Application Of Machine Learning To Prediction Of Vegetation Health, Emily Burchfield, John J. Nay, Jonathan Gilligan
Application Of Machine Learning To Prediction Of Vegetation Health, Emily Burchfield, John J. Nay, Jonathan Gilligan
Environment and Society Faculty Publications
This project applies machine learning techniques to remotely sensed imagery to train and validate predictive models of vegetation health in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. For both locations, we downloaded and processed eleven years of imagery from multiple MODIS datasets which were combined and transformed into two-dimensional matrices. We applied a gradient boosted machines model to the lagged dataset values to forecast future values of the Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI). The predictive power of raw spectral data MODIS products were compared across time periods and land use categories. Our models have significantly more predictive power on held-out datasets than a baseline. …
The Importance Of Motivation, Weapons, And Foul Odors In Driving Encounter Competition In Carnivores, Maximilian L. Allen, Christopher C. Wilmers, L. Mark Elbroch, Julie M. Golla, Heiko U. Wittmer
The Importance Of Motivation, Weapons, And Foul Odors In Driving Encounter Competition In Carnivores, Maximilian L. Allen, Christopher C. Wilmers, L. Mark Elbroch, Julie M. Golla, Heiko U. Wittmer
Environment and Society Faculty Publications
Encounter competition is interference competition in which animals directly contend for resources. Ecological theory predicts the trait that determines the resource holding potential (RHP), and hence the winner of encounter competition, is most often body size or mass. The difficulties of observing encounter competition in complex organisms in natural environments, however, has limited opportunities to test this theory across diverse species. We studied the outcome of encounter competition contests among mesocarnivores at deer carcasses in California to determine the most important variables for winning these contests. We found some support for current theory in that body mass is important in …
Targeted Informal Education Promotes Improved Well-Being, Innovation, And Climate-Change Adaptation Among Residents In Bajura District, Nepal, D. Layne Coppock, Nirmala Pandey, Sanoj Tulachan, Divakar Duwal, Maghana Dhungana, Bishnu Prasad Dulal, Dale Davis
Targeted Informal Education Promotes Improved Well-Being, Innovation, And Climate-Change Adaptation Among Residents In Bajura District, Nepal, D. Layne Coppock, Nirmala Pandey, Sanoj Tulachan, Divakar Duwal, Maghana Dhungana, Bishnu Prasad Dulal, Dale Davis
Environment and Society Faculty Publications
Western Nepal is a remote region home to a wide variety of traditional small farm and livestock production systems. Communities here lack direct access to a suitable road infrastructure and thus are isolated from the modern world. Farm families are often poverty stricken. Western Nepal is also enduring significant climate change, resulting in warmer and drier conditions that negatively affect crop and livestock productivity. Here we report findings from a novel, quasi-experimental approach where the residents of two communities were provided with an intervention package and their perceptions of change over a 16-month period were contrasted with those from residents …
Methods And Costs For Pond-Catchment Rehabilitation On The Borana Plateau, D. Layne Coppock, Brien E. Norton, Demisachew Tadele, Dereje Teshome, Bedasa Eba, Jaldesa Doyo, Seyoum Tezera
Methods And Costs For Pond-Catchment Rehabilitation On The Borana Plateau, D. Layne Coppock, Brien E. Norton, Demisachew Tadele, Dereje Teshome, Bedasa Eba, Jaldesa Doyo, Seyoum Tezera
Environment and Society Faculty Publications
The Borana Plateau is an important rangeland for Ethiopia. One key limitation for people and livestock is lack of drinking water. Hundreds of ponds are important water sources for most of the year. Pond catchments are poorly managed because livestock access is uncontrolled. Catchments are stripped bare of vegetation due to trampling and heavy grazing, and unprotected soil is prone to erosion. When the rains come the ponds quickly fill with sediment. Sedimentation reduces pond holding capacity and much labor is required to clean them out. As part of a pilot research project we rehabilitated four ponds and their immediate …
Sieve Structures To Control Gully Erosion On The Borana Plateau, D. Layne Coppock, Brien E. Norton, Demisachew Tadele, Jaldesa Doyo, Bedasa Eba, Dereje Teshome
Sieve Structures To Control Gully Erosion On The Borana Plateau, D. Layne Coppock, Brien E. Norton, Demisachew Tadele, Jaldesa Doyo, Bedasa Eba, Dereje Teshome
Environment and Society Faculty Publications
Gully erosion is a widespread problem in the Borana plateau. Gullies are the main pathway for sediment accumulation in community ponds, especially during heavy rains, which reduces pond capacity. Sediment movement in gullies can be substantially reduced by installation of sieve structures that slow down water flows and allow sediment to settle out of suspension. Sieves can be easily constructed from trees by community labour at low cost. The community should develop a landscape-level plan and follow a suitable sieve design. Project Kalo collaborators have demonstrated that a series of sieve structures down a secondary gully in the Dikale pond …
Outcomes Of A Pastoral Sustainability Conference: The Borana People Must Better Manage Rangelands And Diversify Livelihoods For A Brighter Future, Solomon Desta, D. Layne Coppock, Tesfaye Alemu, Seyoum Tezera, Bedasa Eba, Jaldesa Doyo, Dereje Teshome, Demisachew Tadele
Outcomes Of A Pastoral Sustainability Conference: The Borana People Must Better Manage Rangelands And Diversify Livelihoods For A Brighter Future, Solomon Desta, D. Layne Coppock, Tesfaye Alemu, Seyoum Tezera, Bedasa Eba, Jaldesa Doyo, Dereje Teshome, Demisachew Tadele
Environment and Society Faculty Publications
The Borana Plateau is an important region for Ethiopia— but it is challenged by very serious problems. Both the human and livestock populations are growing while poverty is increasing for the majority of pastoralists. The rangeland also shows signs of extreme degradation including gullying, bush encroachment, and high rates of pond siltation. This brief summarizes points made at a pastoralist conference held for 71 participants during December, 2014, in Yabelo town in the Borana Zone. The purpose of the conference was to chart a way forward for the Boran society to better address problems. The conference included speakers from the …