Defending Core Sagebrush Areas is Synonymous with Bird Conservation
This Science to Solutions report highlights three new papers that demonstrate how conserving intact sagebrush areas benefits sagebrush-dependent songbirds and sage grouse.
Targeted and Proactive Conifer Treatments Restore Key Components of Sagebrush Ecosystems
October 15, 2024
USDA Announces Department-wide Effort to Support Terrestrial Wildlife Habitat Connectivity
October 23, 2024
Conserving the Biome Saves Birds
The sagebrush biome is one of the most intact and least modified ecosystems in the world, on par with the Amazon or the Serengeti. As the largest contiguous open space in the Lower 48, this biome supports hundreds of wildlife species and powers rural economies.
Three new studies, published as part of a special 2024 issue of the Journal of Rangeland Ecology & Management and detailed below, underscore how defending and growing core sagebrush areas has positive impacts on wildlife. Conserving intact sagebrush landscapes directly increases the abundance of ecosystem indicator species like sage grouse, sage thrashers, and Brewer’s sparrows.
Key findings from the papers:
- Across the biome, greater sage-grouse populations are stable in core sagebrush areas despite plummeting populations in degraded areas.
- In addition, the three species of songbirds that rely on healthy sagebrush habitat are up to 3 to 10 times more abundant in core areas than in degraded areas.
- Straddling the border of California and Nevada, the Bi-State population of sage grouse was predicted to be 37.4% more abundant after a decade of cooperative landscape-scale conservation efforts, compared to a scenario where no conservation actions took place.
Sage Grouse Populations Stable in Core Areas
Scientists, led by Brian Prochazka of the USGS, analyzed greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) population trends on leks (mating grounds where sage grouse congregate each spring) across the biome from 1996– 2021. They compared populations within three different categories of landscapes defined by the Sagebrush Conservation Design (SCD), a tool that ranks landscapes into core, growth, or degraded areas.
Their findings: Sage grouse populations remain stable in sagebrush core areas and declined by 22% in growth areas. However, populations of these at-risk upland birds dropped by a staggering 64% in degraded rangelands. This shows that conserving core sagebrush areas is of vital importance for maintaining the West’s emblematic upland bird into the future.
Paper title: Evaluating the Sagebrush Conservation Design Strategy through the Performance of a Sagebrush
Indicator Species
Lead author: Brian Prochazka, U.S. Geological Survey, Western Ecological Research Center, Dixon, California
Sagebrush Songbirds More Abundant In Core Areas
Researcher Alexander Kumar of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, led a team that modeled the abundance of three species of sagebrush songbirds in core sagebrush areas compared to surrounding areas, as identified by the Sagebrush Conservation Design.
Their findings: The abundance of sage thrashers (Oreoscoptes montanus) is up to 10 times higher in core areas. Brewer’s sparrows (Spzella breweri) are up to six times more abundant in core areas while sagebrush sparrows (Artemisiospiza nevadensis) are up to three times more abundant. The study also found that the abundance of these songbirds declines as sagebrush lands transition from core to degraded. In addition, results show that songbird abundance is highest where there is plenty of sagebrush cover and few to no trees.
This research aligns with other WLFW-supported research from Montana that found sagebrush songbird abundance and reproductive success improved following conifer removal targeted a sage grouse. Conifer encroachment is one of the most impactful threats facing the biome. Removing encroaching trees is a key focus of WLFW’s work in the biome.
Paper title: Defend and Grow the Core for Birds: How a Sagebrush Conservation Strategy Benefits
Rangeland Birds
Lead author: Alexander Kumar, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Fort Collins, Colorado
Bi-State Sage Grouse Population Gets Big Boost from Defending Cores
This study assessed whether cooperative sagebrush conservation efforts from 2012-2019 along the California/Nevada border had any effects on the abundance of the Bi-State Distinct Population Segment of greater sage-grouse.
Researchers, led by Peter Coates of the USGS, analyzed data from 57 sage grouse leks before and after 85 different conservation actions, such as treating weeds, restoring wet meadows, or removing conifers.
Their findings: These targeted, landscape-scale conservation actions boosted the abundance of Bi-State sage grouse by an average of 4.4% annually, resulting in a predicted population abundance increase of 37.4% since 2012, as compared to if no conservation actions had taken place.
Paper title: Cooperative Conservation Actions Improve Sage-Grouse Population Performance within the Bi-State Distinct Population Segment.
Lead author: Peter Coates, U.S. Geological Survey, Western Ecological Research Center, Dixon, California
Science In Action
Working Lands for Wildlife tackles complex, ecosystem-wide problems that plague people and wildlife living in the biome. Along with our many conservation partners, we use tools like the Sagebrush Conservation Design to identify where to conserve intact sagebrush landscapes. This includes treating invasive annual grasses, removing encroaching conifers, and preventing land fragmentation through conservation easements.
By focusing our collective efforts on defending and growing core sagebrush areas, we can keep the West’s rangelands intact for wildlife, rural communities, and ranchers alike long into the future.
