Conservation and Adaptation Resources Toolbox (CART) Case Study and 2-Page Handout

Intense periods of drought across the western U.S. present severe threats to a wide range of shareholders tasked with managing natural resources. In an era of intensifying human-driven climate change, the severity and frequency of these droughts will likely increase ( Cravens et al., 2021 ). While managing water is a critical approach to mitigating and responding to drought, water management does not encompass the wide array of impacts, management strategies, and shareholders related to drought management. For example, aridification from lack of precipitation has agricultural and natural resource implications. Effective drought response involves interdisciplinary collaboration and the expertise and experience...

Intermountain West Drought Social Science Synthesis Working Group

The USGS National Climate Adaptation Science Center (NCASC) is currently engaged in an Ecological Drought initiative, focused on understanding the impacts of drought on natural ecosystems across the country. This project supported the Ecological Drought initiative by creating an Intermountain West Drought Social Science Synthesis Working Group. The goal of this working group was to investigate human dimensions of ecological drought across the intermountain west from a comparative, regional perspective. Throughout the Intermountain West, there has been significant investment in understanding how social factors influence manager and citizen experiences of drought in particular locations. Yet there is still a gap in...

Types: Report; Tags: Drought, Drought, Fire and Extreme Weather, Ecological Drought initiative, Intermountain West, National CASC, All tags... North Central CASC, Science Tools for Managers, Social Science, drought management, Fewer tags

A typology of drought decision making: Synthesizing across cases to understand drought preparedness and response actions

Drought is an inescapable reality in many regions, including much of the western United States. With climate change, droughts are predicted to intensify and occur more frequently, making the imperative for drought management even greater. Many diverse actors – including private landowners, business owners, scientists, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and managers and policymakers within tribal, local, state, and federal government agencies – play multiple, often overlapping roles in preparing for and responding to drought. Managing water is, of course, one of the most important roles that humans play in both mitigating and responding to droughts; but, focusing only on “water managers” or “water management”...

Categories: Publication; Types: Citation