PLJV staff recently completed an assessment of grassland conservation social science needs and priorities across the Central Grasslands region, from Canada to Mexico. The project was funded by the Commission for Environmental Cooperation, a tri-national entity that works to conserve and protect the natural environment of North America for the benefit of present and future generations.
The research team first conducted a review of published reports, papers, and grassland management social science research to determine what information is missing to support conservation in the field. Next, they gathered social science research priorities from grassland conservation delivery professionals across the region. These efforts along with landowner and producer surveys in the three countries were brought together to develop a Central Grasslands Social Science Integration Plan. The plan provides recommendations for integrating social science into conservation efforts throughout the region and highlights the importance of working with the human communities that are inextricably linked to grasslands.
“This work provides a solid foundation for the coordination and integration of social science into ongoing grassland conservation efforts, which is essential to long-term conservation of the Central Grasslands,” says PLJV Social Science Lead Ashley Gramza. “It has also resulted in bringing together a broad partnership of social scientists and conservation delivery professionals who are interested in implementing the recommendations.”
The team tapped into the grassland social science community by hosting several meetings over the project lifecycle, determined current social science research being conducted, and wrote a grassland management literature review that captures relevant case studies throughout Canada, Mexico, and the United States. On the conservation delivery side, they worked to synthesize results from three country-specific surveys of landowners and agricultural producers and conducted a needs assessment of grassland conservation delivery professionals working across the entire region.
“I’m really excited to have such tangible products resulting from our work on this effort over the past couple of years,” says PLJV Social Science Specialist Ryan Roberts, one of the project team members. “In particular, I really feel the identification of needs and priorities can be used by individuals and entities to help improve the delivery side of grassland conservation and management.”
To learn more, watch a presentation about the project including a summary of communication gaps, knowledge gaps, and research needs. While the reports are being finalized, you can view the executive summaries of the Central Grasslands Social Science Integration Plan and the Literature Review of Grassland Management Social Science now. Contact Ashley Gramza at ashley.gramza@pljv.org to be notified when the full reports are available later this spring.