Charles Curtin - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Charles Curtin
Conservation Biology, 2008
Many wide-ranging mammal species have experienced significant declines over the last 200 years; r... more Many wide-ranging mammal species have experienced significant declines over the last 200 years; restoring these species will require long-term, large-scale recovery efforts. We highlight 5 attributes of a recent range-wide vision-setting exercise for ecological recovery of the North American bison (Bison bison) that are broadly applicable to other species and restoration targets. The result of the exercise, the "Vermejo Statement" on bison restoration, is explicitly (1) large scale, (2) long term, (3) inclusive, (4) fulfilling of different values, and (5) ambitious. It reads, in part, "Over the next century, the ecological recovery of the North American bison will occur when multiple large herds move freely across extensive landscapes within all major habitats of their historic range, interacting in ecologically significant ways with the fullest possible set of other native species, and inspiring, sustaining and connecting human cultures." We refined the vision into a scorecard that illustrates how individual bison herds can contribute to the vision. We also developed a set of maps and * email esanderson@wcs.org †Current address:
Wild Rangelands, 2010
... Ecosystems Edited by Johan T. du Toit, Richard Kock and James C . Deutsch © 2010 Blackwell Pu... more ... Ecosystems Edited by Johan T. du Toit, Richard Kock and James C . Deutsch © 2010 Blackwell Publishing ... Financial Incentives for Rangeland Conservation ... With land values increasing, many landowners, especially younger ones with weaker connections to traditional lifestyles ...
Complexity, 2010
A Complex Adaptive System is a collection of autonomous, heterogeneous agents, whose behavior is ... more A Complex Adaptive System is a collection of autonomous, heterogeneous agents, whose behavior is defined with a limited number of rules. A Game Theory is a mathematical construct that assumes a small number of rational players who have a limited number of actions or strategies available to them. The CAS method has the potential to alleviate some of the shortcomings of GT. On the other hand, CAS researchers are always looking for a realistic way to define interactions among agents. GT offers an attractive option for defining the rules of such interactions in a way that is both potentially consistent with observed real-world behavior and subject to mathematical interpretation. This article reports on the results of an effort to build a CAS system that utilizes GT for determining the actions of individual agents.
Restoring Lands - Coordinating Science, Politics and Action, 2011
Ecology and Society, 2014
Journal of Coastal Conservation, 2013
Accelerated sea level rise (slr) is expected to transform vulnerable Atlantic coastal habitats in... more Accelerated sea level rise (slr) is expected to transform vulnerable Atlantic coastal habitats in the United States during this century. Low-elevation sandy beaches, important nesting habitat for the continued recovery of the federally threatened piping plover (Charadrius melodus) in Rhode Island, are especially vulnerable. These beaches, under a mix of private and public ownership, exist in a heterogeneous landscape of dunes, rocky headlands, salt ponds, and heavily developed areas. Understanding the extent to which piping plover nesting beaches can retreat landward under projected slr is important for prioritizing future conservation actions across multiple jurisdictions. This research examines habitat change in response to slr (0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 m) under stationary and migration beach responses and whether development blocks habitat migration for five productive piping plover nesting beaches. We found that under the stationary habitat model, all beaches lose area under all slr scenarios. For the habitat migration model, future habitat availability differs by beach depending on elevation, landward topography, and presence of development. However, across the majority of beach area, piping plover habitat will be able to migrate landward if unconstrained by future development. A coalition of public and private stakeholders already supports management efforts to help ensure plover population recovery in the area. With emerging habitat change prediction tools, these stakeholders and other partners can engage in innovative, local-level planning needed to protect wildlife habitat and commercial, residential, and infrastructure assets from sea level rise.
Journal of Herpetology, 1998
Biological Conservation, 1994
Conservation Biology, 1995
Environmentalists, scientists, and land managers have long debated the role of ranching in landsc... more Environmentalists, scientists, and land managers have long debated the role of ranching in landscape conservation with some contending that ranching represents the major threat to ecological systems, while others believe it is key to long-term conservation. We contrast the impacts of livestock grazing with those of the major alternative land use at this time, suburban and ex-urban development, on the semi-arid Chihuahuan Desert grasslands and savannas of southern Arizona and New Mexico, USA, and northern Chihuahua and Sonora, Mexico. Because landscape change has resulted from complex interactions among natural and anthropogenic disturbances, attempts to identify simple causal relationships resulting from livestock are of limited ecological significance. Far more important is long-term conservation of basic ecological processes at large spatial scales, which in turn requires that certain social conditions be maintained. In the face of rapid, extensive suburban and ex-urban development in the region, conservation of functioning ranch units represents the most viable means of sustaining ecological function. Examples of community-based adaptive management illustrate the potential of coalitions of ranchers, agencies, scientists, and environmentalists to conserve the biodiversity of these landscapes, protecting a matrix of publicly and privately owned land through an extension of UNESCOs biosphere reserve model.
Given the great environmental challenges that human societies face, there is a pressing need to d... more Given the great environmental challenges that human societies face, there is a pressing need to deploy science more effectively in the solution of applied ecological problems than it has been to date. The weak scientific basis for environmental decision-making is sometimes blamed on inadequacies of general ecological knowledge. However, inadequate use of knowledge is to blame at least as often
Australian Journal of Zoology, 1977
Biological Conservation, 1995
Using toposequence and chronosequence studies spanning greater than 45 years, I examined the long... more Using toposequence and chronosequence studies spanning greater than 45 years, I examined the long-term recovery of disturbed subalpine plant communities in Colorado, USA. I found that, after over 100 years, these disturbed plant communities remained distinct from similar surrounding undisturbed areas. Differences included species composition, diversity (species richness and evenness), vegetation density, ground cover, and biomass. The results suggest that biotic factors structure vegetation communities even hundreds of years following disturbance.
Environmental Science & Policy, 2002
Environmentalists, scientists, and land managers have long debated the role of ranching in landsc... more Environmentalists, scientists, and land managers have long debated the role of ranching in landscape conservation with some contending that ranching represents the major threat to ecological systems, while others believe it is key to long-term conservation. We contrast the impacts of livestock grazing with those of the major alternative land use at this time, suburban and ex-urban development, on the semi-arid Chihuahuan Desert grasslands and savannas of southern Arizona and New Mexico, USA, and northern Chihuahua and Sonora, Mexico. Because landscape change has resulted from complex interactions among natural and anthropogenic disturbances, attempts to identify simple causal relationships resulting from livestock are of limited ecological significance. Far more important is long-term conservation of basic ecological processes at large spatial scales, which in turn requires that certain social conditions be maintained. In the face of rapid, extensive suburban and ex-urban development in the region, conservation of functioning ranch units represents the most viable means of sustaining ecological function. Examples of community-based adaptive management illustrate the potential of coalitions of ranchers, agencies, scientists, and environmentalists to conserve the biodiversity of these landscapes, protecting a matrix of publicly and privately owned land through an extension of UNESCOs biosphere reserve model.
Conservation Biology, 2014
Through 3 broad and interconnected streams of thought, resilience thinking has influenced the sci... more Through 3 broad and interconnected streams of thought, resilience thinking has influenced the science of ecology and natural resource management by generating new multidisciplinary approaches to environmental problem solving. Resilience science, adaptive management (AM), and ecological policy design (EPD) contributed to an internationally unified paradigm built around the realization that change is inevitable and that science and management must approach the world with this assumption, rather than one of stability. Resilience thinking treats actions as experiments to be learned from, rather than intellectual propositions to be defended or mistakes to be ignored. It asks what is novel and innovative and strives to capture the overall behavior of a system, rather than seeking static, precise outcomes from discrete action steps. Understanding the foundations of resilience thinking is an important building block for developing more holistic and adaptive approaches to conservation. We conducted a comprehensive review of the history of resilience thinking because resilience thinking provides a working context upon which more effective, synergistic, and systems-based conservation action can be taken in light of rapid and unpredictable change. Together, resilience science, AM, and EPD bridge the gaps between systems analysis, ecology, and resource management to provide an interdisciplinary approach to solving wicked problems.
Journal of Arid Environments, 2001
We investigated variation in perceived foraging costs to kangaroo rats (Dipodomys spp.) along a t... more We investigated variation in perceived foraging costs to kangaroo rats (Dipodomys spp.) along a topographical gradient in the Chihuahuan desert. We used resources left in experimental seed trays to assess these costs. Both the proportion of trays in which Dipodomys foraged and the giving up densities of seeds in the trays decreased with elevation on hillside transects. These results suggest that kangaroo rat foraging activity was greater, with more trays encountered, at the bottom of the hills; however, microhabitat foraging costs (predation risks) were lower, yielding lower giving up densities of seeds in trays, at the tops of the hills.
Ecology Letters, 2000
Biotic and abiotic processes jointly influence natural systems, yet opportunities to integrate st... more Biotic and abiotic processes jointly influence natural systems, yet opportunities to integrate studies of both processes are uncommon. For two decades we have excluded different subsets of the small mammal community from a series of plots near a grassland-desert ecotone in the northern Chihuahuan Desert. These studies spanned a period of historically high winter rainfall, allowing us to distinguish the effects of climate and small mammals on the composition and patch structure of vegetation. Removal of only kangaroo rats (Dipodomys) or of all small mammals led to increased cover of large herbaceous vegetation. The size of vegetative patches increased in all plots but this increase was three times greater where all rodents were removed. Thus, the activity of small mammals that forage under and near shrub canopies appear to significantly inhibit the expansion of existing vegetative patches, and may have a stronger influence on habitat structure than previously recognized.
Conservation Biology, 2003
Vegetatio, 1994
... Z Oi ~~. ~ , COkO OS Fig. I. Index map of Colorado showing the location of the Elk Mountains ... more ... Z Oi ~~. ~ , COkO OS Fig. I. Index map of Colorado showing the location of the Elk Mountains and a topographic map of Crested Butte area show-ing the location of the Gothic Earthflow. ... Foren. 1891: 153. Weber, WA 1976. Rocky Mountain Flora. Colorado As-sociated Press. ...
Conservation Biology, 2002
Conservation Biology, 2008
Many wide-ranging mammal species have experienced significant declines over the last 200 years; r... more Many wide-ranging mammal species have experienced significant declines over the last 200 years; restoring these species will require long-term, large-scale recovery efforts. We highlight 5 attributes of a recent range-wide vision-setting exercise for ecological recovery of the North American bison (Bison bison) that are broadly applicable to other species and restoration targets. The result of the exercise, the "Vermejo Statement" on bison restoration, is explicitly (1) large scale, (2) long term, (3) inclusive, (4) fulfilling of different values, and (5) ambitious. It reads, in part, "Over the next century, the ecological recovery of the North American bison will occur when multiple large herds move freely across extensive landscapes within all major habitats of their historic range, interacting in ecologically significant ways with the fullest possible set of other native species, and inspiring, sustaining and connecting human cultures." We refined the vision into a scorecard that illustrates how individual bison herds can contribute to the vision. We also developed a set of maps and * email esanderson@wcs.org †Current address:
Wild Rangelands, 2010
... Ecosystems Edited by Johan T. du Toit, Richard Kock and James C . Deutsch © 2010 Blackwell Pu... more ... Ecosystems Edited by Johan T. du Toit, Richard Kock and James C . Deutsch © 2010 Blackwell Publishing ... Financial Incentives for Rangeland Conservation ... With land values increasing, many landowners, especially younger ones with weaker connections to traditional lifestyles ...
Complexity, 2010
A Complex Adaptive System is a collection of autonomous, heterogeneous agents, whose behavior is ... more A Complex Adaptive System is a collection of autonomous, heterogeneous agents, whose behavior is defined with a limited number of rules. A Game Theory is a mathematical construct that assumes a small number of rational players who have a limited number of actions or strategies available to them. The CAS method has the potential to alleviate some of the shortcomings of GT. On the other hand, CAS researchers are always looking for a realistic way to define interactions among agents. GT offers an attractive option for defining the rules of such interactions in a way that is both potentially consistent with observed real-world behavior and subject to mathematical interpretation. This article reports on the results of an effort to build a CAS system that utilizes GT for determining the actions of individual agents.
Restoring Lands - Coordinating Science, Politics and Action, 2011
Ecology and Society, 2014
Journal of Coastal Conservation, 2013
Accelerated sea level rise (slr) is expected to transform vulnerable Atlantic coastal habitats in... more Accelerated sea level rise (slr) is expected to transform vulnerable Atlantic coastal habitats in the United States during this century. Low-elevation sandy beaches, important nesting habitat for the continued recovery of the federally threatened piping plover (Charadrius melodus) in Rhode Island, are especially vulnerable. These beaches, under a mix of private and public ownership, exist in a heterogeneous landscape of dunes, rocky headlands, salt ponds, and heavily developed areas. Understanding the extent to which piping plover nesting beaches can retreat landward under projected slr is important for prioritizing future conservation actions across multiple jurisdictions. This research examines habitat change in response to slr (0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 m) under stationary and migration beach responses and whether development blocks habitat migration for five productive piping plover nesting beaches. We found that under the stationary habitat model, all beaches lose area under all slr scenarios. For the habitat migration model, future habitat availability differs by beach depending on elevation, landward topography, and presence of development. However, across the majority of beach area, piping plover habitat will be able to migrate landward if unconstrained by future development. A coalition of public and private stakeholders already supports management efforts to help ensure plover population recovery in the area. With emerging habitat change prediction tools, these stakeholders and other partners can engage in innovative, local-level planning needed to protect wildlife habitat and commercial, residential, and infrastructure assets from sea level rise.
Journal of Herpetology, 1998
Biological Conservation, 1994
Conservation Biology, 1995
Environmentalists, scientists, and land managers have long debated the role of ranching in landsc... more Environmentalists, scientists, and land managers have long debated the role of ranching in landscape conservation with some contending that ranching represents the major threat to ecological systems, while others believe it is key to long-term conservation. We contrast the impacts of livestock grazing with those of the major alternative land use at this time, suburban and ex-urban development, on the semi-arid Chihuahuan Desert grasslands and savannas of southern Arizona and New Mexico, USA, and northern Chihuahua and Sonora, Mexico. Because landscape change has resulted from complex interactions among natural and anthropogenic disturbances, attempts to identify simple causal relationships resulting from livestock are of limited ecological significance. Far more important is long-term conservation of basic ecological processes at large spatial scales, which in turn requires that certain social conditions be maintained. In the face of rapid, extensive suburban and ex-urban development in the region, conservation of functioning ranch units represents the most viable means of sustaining ecological function. Examples of community-based adaptive management illustrate the potential of coalitions of ranchers, agencies, scientists, and environmentalists to conserve the biodiversity of these landscapes, protecting a matrix of publicly and privately owned land through an extension of UNESCOs biosphere reserve model.
Given the great environmental challenges that human societies face, there is a pressing need to d... more Given the great environmental challenges that human societies face, there is a pressing need to deploy science more effectively in the solution of applied ecological problems than it has been to date. The weak scientific basis for environmental decision-making is sometimes blamed on inadequacies of general ecological knowledge. However, inadequate use of knowledge is to blame at least as often
Australian Journal of Zoology, 1977
Biological Conservation, 1995
Using toposequence and chronosequence studies spanning greater than 45 years, I examined the long... more Using toposequence and chronosequence studies spanning greater than 45 years, I examined the long-term recovery of disturbed subalpine plant communities in Colorado, USA. I found that, after over 100 years, these disturbed plant communities remained distinct from similar surrounding undisturbed areas. Differences included species composition, diversity (species richness and evenness), vegetation density, ground cover, and biomass. The results suggest that biotic factors structure vegetation communities even hundreds of years following disturbance.
Environmental Science & Policy, 2002
Environmentalists, scientists, and land managers have long debated the role of ranching in landsc... more Environmentalists, scientists, and land managers have long debated the role of ranching in landscape conservation with some contending that ranching represents the major threat to ecological systems, while others believe it is key to long-term conservation. We contrast the impacts of livestock grazing with those of the major alternative land use at this time, suburban and ex-urban development, on the semi-arid Chihuahuan Desert grasslands and savannas of southern Arizona and New Mexico, USA, and northern Chihuahua and Sonora, Mexico. Because landscape change has resulted from complex interactions among natural and anthropogenic disturbances, attempts to identify simple causal relationships resulting from livestock are of limited ecological significance. Far more important is long-term conservation of basic ecological processes at large spatial scales, which in turn requires that certain social conditions be maintained. In the face of rapid, extensive suburban and ex-urban development in the region, conservation of functioning ranch units represents the most viable means of sustaining ecological function. Examples of community-based adaptive management illustrate the potential of coalitions of ranchers, agencies, scientists, and environmentalists to conserve the biodiversity of these landscapes, protecting a matrix of publicly and privately owned land through an extension of UNESCOs biosphere reserve model.
Conservation Biology, 2014
Through 3 broad and interconnected streams of thought, resilience thinking has influenced the sci... more Through 3 broad and interconnected streams of thought, resilience thinking has influenced the science of ecology and natural resource management by generating new multidisciplinary approaches to environmental problem solving. Resilience science, adaptive management (AM), and ecological policy design (EPD) contributed to an internationally unified paradigm built around the realization that change is inevitable and that science and management must approach the world with this assumption, rather than one of stability. Resilience thinking treats actions as experiments to be learned from, rather than intellectual propositions to be defended or mistakes to be ignored. It asks what is novel and innovative and strives to capture the overall behavior of a system, rather than seeking static, precise outcomes from discrete action steps. Understanding the foundations of resilience thinking is an important building block for developing more holistic and adaptive approaches to conservation. We conducted a comprehensive review of the history of resilience thinking because resilience thinking provides a working context upon which more effective, synergistic, and systems-based conservation action can be taken in light of rapid and unpredictable change. Together, resilience science, AM, and EPD bridge the gaps between systems analysis, ecology, and resource management to provide an interdisciplinary approach to solving wicked problems.
Journal of Arid Environments, 2001
We investigated variation in perceived foraging costs to kangaroo rats (Dipodomys spp.) along a t... more We investigated variation in perceived foraging costs to kangaroo rats (Dipodomys spp.) along a topographical gradient in the Chihuahuan desert. We used resources left in experimental seed trays to assess these costs. Both the proportion of trays in which Dipodomys foraged and the giving up densities of seeds in the trays decreased with elevation on hillside transects. These results suggest that kangaroo rat foraging activity was greater, with more trays encountered, at the bottom of the hills; however, microhabitat foraging costs (predation risks) were lower, yielding lower giving up densities of seeds in trays, at the tops of the hills.
Ecology Letters, 2000
Biotic and abiotic processes jointly influence natural systems, yet opportunities to integrate st... more Biotic and abiotic processes jointly influence natural systems, yet opportunities to integrate studies of both processes are uncommon. For two decades we have excluded different subsets of the small mammal community from a series of plots near a grassland-desert ecotone in the northern Chihuahuan Desert. These studies spanned a period of historically high winter rainfall, allowing us to distinguish the effects of climate and small mammals on the composition and patch structure of vegetation. Removal of only kangaroo rats (Dipodomys) or of all small mammals led to increased cover of large herbaceous vegetation. The size of vegetative patches increased in all plots but this increase was three times greater where all rodents were removed. Thus, the activity of small mammals that forage under and near shrub canopies appear to significantly inhibit the expansion of existing vegetative patches, and may have a stronger influence on habitat structure than previously recognized.
Conservation Biology, 2003
Vegetatio, 1994
... Z Oi ~~. ~ , COkO OS Fig. I. Index map of Colorado showing the location of the Elk Mountains ... more ... Z Oi ~~. ~ , COkO OS Fig. I. Index map of Colorado showing the location of the Elk Mountains and a topographic map of Crested Butte area show-ing the location of the Gothic Earthflow. ... Foren. 1891: 153. Weber, WA 1976. Rocky Mountain Flora. Colorado As-sociated Press. ...
Conservation Biology, 2002