Morpho: Integrating Multidisciplinary Data Layers into the Central Grassland Avian Modeling Project
Project Description
Grasslands are a biome in collapse. Seventy-five percent of grassland birds are declining with some species nearing threatened and endangered status. Despite this urgency, we lack spatially explicit prioritization tools to implement conservation at scale across the Great Plains and Chihuahuan Desert. Here, we build upon the modeling approach of the Central Grasslands Avian Modeling Project (CGAMP) by combining data from across diverse disciplines to spatially prioritize habitat protection and restoration efforts across the full-annual cycle that maximize conservation return on investment. Specifically, we will use the integer linear programming algorithm approach to integrate data products (i.e., avian density, risk of conversion, climate, socio-economic and indigenous traditional ecological knowledge) and optimize spatial priorities for conservation delivery. The transdisciplinary working group will leverage NCEAS facilitation and computational resources to advance this effort. Specifically, we aim to integrate biological science, human dimensions, economics, and indigenous traditional ecological knowledge. A science communication expert will support the messaging and outreach to diverse stakeholders. Data products will support conservation prioritization for a diverse set of partners active in grassland conservation while simultaneously facilitating a longer-term grassland bird working group.

Principal Investigator(s)
Project Dates
Start: September 1, 2022
End: September 30, 2024
active
Participants
- Drew Bennett
- University of Wyoming
- Emily Boyd-Valandra
- Rose Bud Souix Tribe
- John Carlson
- US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS)
- Miyoko Chu
- Cornell University
- Jim Giocomo
- American Bird Conservancy
- Katie Holland
- Road2Recovery
- Carrie V. Kappel
- University of California, Santa Barbara
- Chris Latimer
- Bird Conservancy of the Rockies
- Sarah Olimb
- World Wildlife Fund
- Imtiaz Rangwala
- University of Colorado, Denver
- Ben Rashford
- University of Wyoming
- Barry Robinson
- Environment Climate Change Canada
- Amanda Rodewald
- Cornell University
- Beth Ross
- US Fish & Wildlife Service R2
- Irene Ruvalcaba
- Universidad Autonoma de Nueva Leon
- Brandt Ryder
- Bird Conservancy of the Rockies
- Dirac Twidwell
- Natural Resource Conservation Service