Low‐tech riparian and wet meadow restoration increases vegetation productivity and resilience across semiarid rangelands

• DOI: 10.1111/rec.12869
• Publication Date: 2018-08-07T07:36:37Z
• Authors: Nicholas L. Silve...; Brady W. Allred; John Patrick Donn...; Teresa B. Chapman; Jeremy D. Maestas; Joseph M. Wheaton; Jeff White; David E. Naugle
• Keywords: Restoration Ecology

Restoration of riparian and wet meadow ecosystems in semiarid rangelands the western United States is a high priority given their ecological hydrological importance region. However, traditional restoration approaches are often intensive costly, limiting extent over which they can be applied. Practitioners increasingly trying new techniques that more cost‐effective, less intensive, practically scale up to scope degradation. Unfortunately, practitioners typically lack resources undertake outcome‐based evaluations necessary judge efficacy these techniques. In this study, we use freely available, satellite remote sensing explore changes vegetation productivity (normalized difference index) three distinct, low‐tech, projects. Case studies presented range geographic location (Colorado, Oregon, Nevada), practice (Zeedyk structures, beaver dam analogs, grazing management), time since implementation. practices resulted increased 25% annual persistence productive vegetation. Improvements with suggest elevated resilience may further enhance wildlife habitat increase forage production. Long‐term, documented outcomes conservation rare; hope our findings empower monitor low‐tech methods for ecohydrologic processes at meaningful spatial scales.