COS 172-6 - Challenges and benefits of using habitat models for rare plants to inform public lands decisions in the western U.S.

Abstract: The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is the largest federal land manager in the U.S. and manages public lands for multiple uses, resources, and values ranging from energy development to rare plant conservation. Habitat models are tools for understanding rare plant distribution patterns and may help public land managers assess and mitigate potential impacts to rare plant populations, though it is unclear how habitat models are currently being used to support land management decisions. Our goal was to better understand how BLM staff currently use habitat models to inform their planning and decision-making, as well as to understand the challenges and potential benefits associated with that use. We worked closely with BLM in a coproduction framework throughout the study. We conducted 12 semi-structured interviews across four western states from July–September 2022 with BLM staff who analyze rare plants in a variety of environmental impact analyses to gain insight into the challenges and benefits of using habitat models in the context of public land management. We used thematic analysis based in grounded theory to analyze interview responses. We found that top challenges that interviewees faced in using models related to data organization and access, model quality, and institutional capacity. Participants also experienced benefits associated with using models. Models improved understanding of species habitat or distribution, helped assess potential impacts to rare plants, informed restoration or conservation actions, and increased objectivity in decision analyses. Interviewees believed that models could be used more in planning and decision-making. They identified avenues that could make it easier to use models such as improving staff access to models, creating models for additional rare plant species, and addressing the lack of staff capacity to use and interpret models. These findings will inform future conversations with model developers to identify how model inputs, processes, and outputs can be improved to facilitate greater use of habitat models by resource managers in their planning and management decisions on public lands. Working directly with BLM scientists and land managers to identify and address factors that hinder staff from using rare plant habitat models can strengthen the science foundation for decisions, which could support BLM’s sustained yield mandate by enhancing resilience and protection of rare plants.