Restoring ecosystem services in degraded rangeland
Land degradation reduces ecosystem services like erosion control, biodiversity maintenance, and net primary productivity. Once degraded, recovery of services is often slow or non-existent. Recent droughts and predicted warmer and more variable conditions increase the challenge of restoring services.
In partnership with the USGS, we are evaluating innovative technologies and implementation strategies to stabilize soils and establish native plants. We used biological soil crust inoculation (mixed with polyacrylamides - water-absorbant, sticky polymers) and connectivity modifiers (small 6" tall fence-like barriers) to stabilize soils, restore biological soil crust, and create seed microsites. We also seeded a mix 11 natives species. Cows were reintroduced to half of the experiment after 2 years of rest. We are evaluating the costs and benefits of these treatments for restoring and providing ecosystem services. |