It’s Our Nature to Know Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute A Geographically- Broad Assessment of Rangeland Ecosystem Services Shannon White, Thomas J. Habib, and Dan Farr Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute University of Alberta

It’s Our Nature to Know Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute A Geographically- Broad Assessment of Rangeland Ecosystem Services Shannon White, Thomas J. Habib, and Dan Farr Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute University of Alberta

Ecosystem services

Rangelands provide all these services (and more) Forage production Carbon storage Pollination Water filtration & storage Species at risk Biodiversity

ES in AB Rangelands AB has twice the remaining untilled prairie than the US Conversion continues Current market doesn’t account for ES New markets for ranchers

Status of Rangeland Less than half of rangeland in “good” condition (Prairie Agricultural Landscapes, AAFC) Potential to better manage rangelands Especially if there is incentive

Status of Rangeland Less than half of rangeland in “good” condition (Prairie Agricultural Landscapes, AAFC) Potential to better manage rangelands Especially if there is incentive

Ecosystem Services Assessment Project Develop detailed, spatially-explicit models to measure and map these focal ES across Alberta, as well as how they change with land management activities Part of a province-wide initiative led by AIBio, the Ecosystem Services Research and Innovation Roadmap Will further incorporate this knowledge into market-based instruments

Quantifying ES Water purification Pollination Biodiversity Carbon storage Forage production Timber production

Quantifying ES Water purification Pollination Biodiversity Carbon storage Forage production Timber production “Beta release March 2014” Open source; open data

Water purification 1.Track water flow using DEM 2.Water picks up sediment based on landcover/ land-use 3.Track sediment deposition 4.Determine important upslope source areas for points of interest (e.g. cities, recreational lakes)

Pollination 1.Map canola fields

Pollination 1.Map canola fields 2.Map bee habitat

Pollination 1.Map canola fields 2.Map bee habitat 3.Use field studies to understand contribution of bees to canola production

Pollination 1.Map canola fields 2.Map bee habitat 3.Use field studies to understand contribution of bees to canola production 4.Determine $/ha

Biodiversity (ABMI) 1.Monitor species abundance and habitat across province

Biodiversity 1.Monitor species abundance and habitat across province 2.Develop detailed maps of land cover & use

Biodiversity 1.Monitor species abundance and habitat across province 2.Develop detailed maps of land cover & use 3.Develop statistical relationships between land use and observed species

Biodiversity 1.Monitor species abundance and habitat across province 2.Use detailed map of land use 3.Develop statistical relationships between land use and observed species 4.Use these relationships to predict biodiversity “Intactness” across province

Forage production & Carbon storage 1.Uses CENTURY ecosystem model Soil Organic Matter Plant Production Hydrological Nutrient Cycling Management and events

Forage production & Carbon storage 1.Uses CENTURY model 2.Based on soil, climate & land cover data

Forage production & Carbon storage 1.Uses CENTURY model 2.Based on soil, climate & land cover data 3.Run model for each Agrasid polygon

Forage production & Carbon storage 1.Uses CENTURY model 2.Based on soil, climate & land cover data 3.Run model for each Agrasid polygon 4.Link results to GIS (native grassland)

Results: Carbon Modelling μ = 87 tonnes C/ha Total Soil C (tonnes/ha)

Results: Carbon Modelling μ = 87 tonnes C/ha μ = 319 tonnes CO 2 /ha Total Soil C (tonnes/ha)

Results: Carbon Modelling μ = 87 tonnes C/ha μ = 319 tonnes CO 2 /ha Total Soil C (tonnes/ha)

Results: Forage Modelling μ = 2391 kg/ha Available Forage (kg/ha/yr)

Results: Forage Modelling μ = 2391 kg/ha Available Forage (kg/ha/yr) Value? $60/tonne? $143/ha/yr3

Caveat Preliminary results Modelling – Benefits – Drawbacks CENTURY is well used model – But need model validation

What questions can we ask? Large spatial extent: what is the value? Effect of land use/management – Conversion of prairie to cropland – Adjusting grazing intensity Trade-offs between multiple ES How will climate change affect ES? Scaling down

Scorecards – For a region, or industry Scenario modelling Market-based instruments – i.e. Conservation offsets Payment for ecosystem services… Applications

Carbon Credits for Grassland >4X C in soil than atmosphere

Carbon Credits for Grassland Accounting based off CENTURY model

Many more ES

Acknowledgements Funders: Collaborators: