Abstract
Future climate projections of warming, drying, and increased weather variability indicate that conventional agricultural and production practices within the Northern Great Plains (NGP) will become less sustainable, both ecologically and economically. As a result, the livelihoods of people that rely on these lands will be adversely impacted. This is especially true for Native American communities, who were relegated to reservations where the land is often vast but marginal and non-tribal operators have an outsized role in food production. In addition, NGP lands are expected to warm and dry disproportionately relative to the rest of the United States. It is therefore critical to identify models of sustainable land management that can improve ecological function and socio-economic outcomes for NGP communities, all while increasing resilience to a rapidly changing climate. Efforts led by Native American Nations to restore North American Plains bison (Bison bison bison) to tribal lands can bring desired socio-ecological benefits to underserved communities while improving their capacity to influence the health of their lands, their people, and their livelihoods. Ecological sustainability will depend on the restoration of bison herds and bison’s ability to serve as ecosystem engineers of North America’s Plains. The historically broad distribution of bison suggests they can adapt to a variety of conditions, making them resilient to a wide range of management systems and climates. Here we review bison’s ecological, cultural, and economic value using four case studies from tribal communities within the NGP. We discuss the potential contributions of bison to food sovereignty, sustainable economies, and conservation of a working landscape with limited protections and significant risk of conversion. The ecological role of bison within this setting has potential due to cultural acceptance and the vast availability of suitable lands; however, it is critical to address tribal needs for funding support, enhanced community capacity, and solving complex landownership for these goals to be achieved.
Highlights
Climate projections for the Northern Great Plains (NGP) forewarn of warming, drying summers, erratic rainfall patterns with increased spring flooding, and increased winter snow cover (Shafer et al, 2014; Wuebbles et al, 2017; Adams et al, 2020)
As is done for conservation translocations (IUCN/SSC, 2013), we suggest conducting a feasibility assessment prior to any rewilding initiative, with additional consideration given to cultural, economic, and food sovereignty conditions, since available habitat and community objectives are likely to differ from one reservation to another
We present a bison summer Habitat Suitability Index (HSI) model based on the productivity of habitat during the summer
Summary
Climate projections for the Northern Great Plains (NGP) forewarn of warming, drying summers, erratic rainfall patterns with increased spring flooding, and increased winter snow cover (Shafer et al, 2014; Wuebbles et al, 2017; Adams et al, 2020). Re-establishing bison on reservations can contribute to change in Native American communities in multiple ways: (1) spiritual, by healing the spirit of the buffalo and the people (Haggerty et al, 2018b); (2) cultural, by restoring people’s connection to their heritage (McClintock, 1910) including enabling food sovereignty and security on reservations; (3) economic development (e.g., tourism, bison hunts, sale of live bison, or bison meat); (4) and ecological, by supporting ecosystem resiliency through sustainable bison grazing. We propose that bison herds currently being restored to Native American lands have the potential to provide the food sustenance, cultural reconnection, and ecological sustainability needed to meet future climate challenges. We provide recommendations for future development of management plans with the goal of maximizing the benefits of restoring bison herds to the cultural, economic, and ecological health of the Tribes and their lands. Economic development plans including modern food marketing are recommended to help guide programs toward becoming self-sustaining, including support for multiple long-term staff
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