science Priorities
In keeping with its mission, the SW CASC identifies research priorities that are tied closely to the needs of natural resource managers. For Fiscal Year 2024, the SW CASC identifies four research priorities.
FY24
Science
Priorities
1. Indigenous practices of ecosystem management and restoration in the context of climate change and adaptation
2. Management implications of mega-disturbance events and ecological transformation
3. Climate-informed management of natural resources in coastal, freshwater, and riparian ecosystems to support effective climate adaptation services
4. Responding to implications of ongoing drought and aridity in the Southwest region.
Indigenous practices of ecosystem management and restoration in the context of climate change and adaptation
Integration of Indigenous perspectives on ecosystem management and restoration in the context of a changing climate is vital to improving our capacity for successful implementation of adaptation solutions1. This includes traditional viewpoints and practices that could inform
- the state of the science, policy, and practice on how climate change is currently affecting and projected to transform ecological processes
- how projected changes fit within the context of national patterns and trends
- the implications of these changes for natural resource management and human communities across the Southwest
[1] Long, Jonathan W.; Lake, Frank K.; Goode, Ron W.; Burnette, Benrita Mae. 2020. How Traditional Tribal Perspectives Influence Ecosystem Restoration. Ecopsychology. 12(2): 1-12 (and references therein).
Management implications of mega-disturbance events and ecological transformation.
Climate change is a contributing factor to changing fire regimes, including larger and more severe wildfires, longer wildfire seasons, and shortened fire return intervals. These changing fire regimes along with changing climate and interacting disturbances can lead to post-fire vegetation transformation (e.g., forest to non-forest, shrubland to invasive grassland), with profound implications for wildlife habitat, watershed processes, and other ecosystem processes and services.
Research is needed to inform management decisions that reduce risk of catastrophic wildfire and to develop management strategies to resist, improve capacity for resilience, or facilitate post-fire ecosystem transitions and transformations.
Climate-informed management of natural resources in coastal, freshwater and riparian ecosystems to support effective climate adaptation services
Given the multitude of changes currently happening across the Southwest Region spanning freshwater to estuarine to coastal/nearshore aquatic habitats, the SW CASC has an urgent need to better understand the climate-related research needs of stakeholders who manage or make decisions about species and aquatic habitats in this region. We are particularly interested in augmenting our understanding of the consequences of more frequent and higher intensity wildfires in aquatic ecosystems that can lead to significant degradation and loss of riparian and forest vegetation and transform the structure and function of streams, rivers, and estuaries.
Responding to implications of ongoing drought and aridity in the Southwest region
Since the year 2000, the western U.S. has been experiencing a megadrought, a magnitude of which has not been recorded in the past 800 years. The term "hot drought" best captures the increasing aridity phenomenon and has been attributed to decreases in streamflow in the Colorado River, for example. "Warm snow droughts" have also been used to describe decreasing snowpack in the Southwest’s mountains. There is growing consensus among the scientific community that aridity will continue to increase because of increasing air temperature, even if precipitation inputs remain the same. We seek proposals that explore and identify solutions for the natural resource management community that are currently faced with responding to drought and aridity issues.
Cross-Cutting Themes of Interest
- Advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (DEIJ) best principles in the climate change adaptation sciences and workforce development
- Addressing human dimensions of climate-adapted natural and cultural resource management, which may include (but are not limited to) economic or sociological analyses of climate adaptation options or impacts
- Improving our understanding of how managers can move from climate adaptation planning to on-the-ground action, including potential evaluation of this critical step
- Developing and implementing innovative outreach efforts and products to translate science or tools to actionable solutions, akin to climate adaptation services
- Addressing potential intersections between climate and non-climate factors, such as urban expansion and activities, development, pollution, effects on wildlife, and transportation infrastructure