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Supplying ecosystem services on US rangelands

Nature Sustainability volume 6, pages 1524–1532 (2023)Cite this article

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Abstract

Rangelands comprise 40% of the conterminous United States and they supply essential ecosystem services to society. A scenario assessment was conducted to determine how accelerating biophysical and societal drivers may modify their future availability. Four scenarios emerged: two may maintain rural communities by sustaining the prevailing ecosystem service of beef cattle production, and two may transform rural communities through expansion of renewable energy technologies and infusion of external capital from amenity land sales. Collaborative organizations representing diverse societal sectors may most effectively identify and manage trade-offs among ecosystem service availability, and equitably prioritize food and energy security, environmental quality and cultural identity.

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Fig. 1: Change in evapotranspiration in the western United States.
Fig. 2: Plausible future scenarios for US rangeland.

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Acknowledgements

We thank D. Pyke with the US Geological Survey for their valuable contributions to an earlier version of the paper. Any use of trade, firm or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the US Government. S. Kagone created Fig. 1, M. Joyce created Fig. 2, and A. Briske and E. Raynor revised Boxes 1 and 2.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Ecology and Conservation Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA

    David D. Briske

  2. School of Natural Resources and the Environment, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA

    Steven R. Archer

  3. Department of Environmental Science, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA

    Emily Burchfield

  4. The Nature Conservancy, Denver, CO, USA

    William Burnidge

  5. Rangeland Resources and Systems Research Unit, High Plains Grasslands Research Station, USDA-ARS, Cheyenne, WY, USA

    Justin D. Derner

  6. College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA

    Hannah Gosnell

  7. National Laboratory for Agriculture and the Environment, USDA-ARS, Ames, IA, USA

    Jerry Hatfield

  8. The Nature Conservancy, Minneapolis, MN, USA

    Clare E. Kazanski

  9. Ecosystems Mission Area, US Geological Survey, Reston, VA, USA

    Mona Khalil

  10. Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment, Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA

    Tyler J. Lark

  11. Southwest Biological Science Center, US Geological Survey, Tucson, AZ, USA

    Pamela Nagler

  12. Global Drylands Center, School of Life Science and School of Sustainability, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA

    Osvaldo Sala

  13. Department of Geography, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA

    Nathan F. Sayre

  14. AgNext, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA

    Kimberly R. Stackhouse-Lawson

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  1. David D. Briske
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Contributions

D.D.B. proposed the initial concept and led the paper writing. S.R.A., E.B., W.B., J.D.D., H.G., J.H., C.E.K., M.K., T.J.L., P.N., O.S., N.F.S. and K.R.S.-L. contributed to paper development and revision in their specific areas of expertise.

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Correspondence to David D. Briske.

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Briske, D.D., Archer, S.R., Burchfield, E. et al. Supplying ecosystem services on US rangelands. Nat Sustain 6, 1524–1532 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-023-01194-6

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