Assessing Sustainability Goals Using Big Data: Collaborative Adaptive Management in the Malpai Borderlands

Collaborative adaptive management is a means to achieve social and ecological goals in complex natural resource settings. Evaluation of collaborative outcomes, however, difficult at the scale large landscapes. We developed an approach for such evaluations using long-term, spatio-temporal gridded or county-level datasets alongside local information on changes ranch ownership. applied this evaluate sustainability Malpai Borderlands Group (MBG) by comparing MBG landscape surrounding, similar desert grassland matched datasets, where possible, goals, including preservation ranching livelihoods, prevention rangeland fragmentation exurban development, sustaining role fire, limiting reversing woody plant encroachment into grasslands, productivity, biodiversity. found that number families changed little since was established, although several ranches were consolidated within some absentee owners, multiple share other ranches. The beef cattle declined one county, likely due increasing depth groundwater. Exurban development rangeland-to-cropland conversion have been virtually nonexistent landscape, while conversions are common adjacent Coordinated fire planning with low has led extensive fires dwarfing area burned percent land exhibiting significant trends bare ground cover intermediate compared landscapes, herbaceous shrub exhibited only small fraction study region. Rangeland productivity declines but minimal area. Our analysis suggests implemented aligned their changing climate, water availability, demography will become increasingly challenging.