In June 2010, the GPLCC Science Subcommittee was charged with strategically developing a set of priorities for scientific research and related activities for FY 2011. The original priority list, which identified habitat categories and priority wildlife species, was based largely on information in the Wildlife Action Plans of the six state partners encompassed within the Great Plains LCC boundary, as well as regional planning documents of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and The Nature Conservancy. However, the Science Subcommittee agreed that a subset of these priorities would have to be selected for further consideration because science funding was inadequate to effectively address all the needs originally identified. For more information, read the Science Priorities of the Great Plains LCC – FY2011 report, which outlines the science needs that are the focus of FY2011 Science Research RFP.
Ultimately, five species were selected as umbrella species based on their relevance as an indicator to a habitat type and/or guild of species found in the Great Plains LCC. The presence/absence and abundance of these indicator or umbrella species denotes a specific environmental condition and relates to the structure and function of various habitats within the Great Plains LCC, many of which are imperiled or likely to be impacted by stressors, including climate variability. Consequently, scientific research and monitoring of the habitats and life cycles of these species will inform conservation activities that benefit many other species utilizing the same habitats in the Great Plains.
Selected Species
Following selection of priority species, the Science Subcommittee decided that a transparent process should be used to evaluate existing information and data to identify which research gaps should receive priority consideration for GPLCC science funding. After much discussion, the Subcommittee agreed to utilize the Strategic Habitat Conservation (SHC) approach as a general framework for this purpose.
Strategic Habitat Conservation is an iterative process that incorporates four elements in a step-by-step fashion of adaptive management that includes: biological planning, conservation design, conservation delivery, and monitoring and research. By understanding the current status of each SHC element in relation to a subset of priority species in the GPLCC, recommendations for funding science capacity and research projects can be developed. As progress is achieved, the iterative nature of SHC also allows re-prioritization of science needs ensuring that the most important information gaps are addressed for effective conservation planning and design.