USDA regional climate hubs and long-term agro-ecosystem research (LTAR) network
Date
2014-09
Authors
Derner, Justin D., speaker
International Wildlife Ranching Symposium, producer
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Abstract
Formation of Long-Term Agro-ecosystem Research (LTAR) networks in 2012 and the USDA Regional Climate Hubs in 2014 provide networks to address climate change and agriculture. Eighteen sites in the LTAR network address, through replicated experimental designs, common problems of how to "Sustain or Enhance Productivity, Profitability, and Ecosystem Services in Agro-ecosystems and Agricultural Landscapes" for "business as usual" and "aspirational agriculture" management strategies. Common core measurements will be taken (e.g., productivity; carbon, water and energy fluxes; greenhouse gas measurements; wind and water erosion) and used for cross-site comparisons, meta-analyses with other network data (e.g., National Ecological Observatory Network, NEON; Long-Term Ecological Research, LTER), and in model simulations/projections for predicted climate scenarios. Data will feed into 7 USDA Regional Climate Hubs, tasked with enhancing decisions by agricultural producers on the ground to reduce enterprise risk, increase resilience of lands, improve soil health, and increase efficiency of production (e.g., more crop per drop) in a changing climate, including more frequent extreme events. Climate-smart decisions, such as matching stocking/grazing decisions to improved predictions of seasonal weather (precipitation and temperature) or matching appropriate crops to predicted growing seasons (including earlier onset of growing season and increased frost free days), are reliant on development and transfer of science-based, region-specific information and technologies through coordinated efforts with local and regional partners in Federal and state agencies, NGOs, private companies, and Tribes. Information transfer can include: trusted sources of Extension, state climatologists; modification of existing conservation programs through NRCS or others; and peer-to-peer communications through social media.
Description
Presented at the 8th international congress for wildlife and livelihoods on private and communal lands: livestock, tourism, and spirit, that was held on September 7-12, 2014 in Estes Park, Colorado.
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Subject
Wildlife management -- Congresses
Range management -- Congresses