Bison Reintroduction Research Articles

Fears and Fences: Social and Material Barriers to Plains Bison on the Canadian Prairies

Plains Bison once had the largest population and range of any terrestrial herbivore in North America. Bison now occupy less than 2% of their historic range, mostly behind fences of state-run and private organizations. In 2014, Indigenous groups across North America signed The Buffalo Treaty, calling for bison rewilding. This paper examines barriers to rewilding on Canada’s prairies in the provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta. Through interviews we asked government and NGO representatives what prevents bison reintroduction and rewilding. Our results suggest that the main barriers are social acceptance and material resources. These findings support previous research in the United States and Europe and provides a foundation for future research that could include other actors, such as landowners, Indigenous organizations, and industry representatives.

A follow‐up assessment of wildlife‐permeable fences used in the reintroduction of bison

Fences are an important tool for anchoring reintroduced species to a target area, and there is a need to understand their effect on other wildlife species. However, little is understood about the response of wildlife to newly constructed fences over time. We evaluated fences used in the reintroduction of plains bison Bison bison to Banff National Park, Canada. These fences were designed to contain reintroduced bison while allowing for the free passage of other wildlife. In 2020, we provided an assessment of the permeability of several fence designs. Here, we investigated longer‐term fence effects and addressed the emerging question of whether wildlife adapt their behaviours to navigate fences more effectively over time. We used an expanded array of remote cameras and a before‐after‐control‐impact design to evaluate changes in detection probability for 12 species. Next, we tested for changes in crossing rates and travel speeds of migratory elk Cervus canadensis using 22 years of GPS collar data. Finally, we examined whether species detections or elk movements changed over time after fences were constructed. Changes in detection probability near fences were inconsistent between species. Elk fence crossing rates decreased after fence construction, and travel speeds slowed by a negligible amount. However, these effects were temporary – wildlife learned to cross fences more efficiently over time. Elk movement metrics followed a non‐linear pattern after the appearance of fences and began returning to pre‐fence states after approximately two years. Our study provides new information on the implementation of fences for conservation objectives while minimizing impacts on sympatric wildlife.

Bison and bighorns: Assessing the potential impacts of reintroducing a large herbivore to a mountainous landscape.

The reintroduction of wildlife can have significant ecological impacts by altering the flow of energy in food webs. Recently, plains bison were reintroduced to part of Banff National Park after a 150-year absence. The large herbivore's reintroduction was expected to have far-reaching effects on the ecosystem due to its significant energy requirements and interactions with habitat and other sympatric species. This study explores the impacts of bison reintroduction on the movement and resource use of another large-bodied grazer, the Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep. Between 2018 and 2021, we collected data from GPS collars fit on 39 bighorn sheep and 11 bison. We analyzed home range patterns, resource selection, and interactions to investigate the potential for interspecific competition, facilitation, and resource complementarity. At the population level, bison and bighorn sheep exhibited low levels of spatial overlap and there was strong evidence of resource separation in all seasons. Interactions between species did not appear to affect sheep movement rates; however, we did see differences in forage selection patterns for sheep with overlapping home ranges with bison. Collectively, results did not support the potential for competition or facilitation between bison and bighorn sheep and instead provided the strongest evidence of complementarity.

From Reintroduction to Rewilding: Autonomy, Agency and the Messy Liberation of the European Bison

In the age of the sixth extinction, human interventions to save endangered species have become bigger, bolder and costlier than ever. Yet, policies of species conservation have also favoured non-intervention, furthering the idea that humans have tampered too much with wildness and wilderness. This article examines a reintroduction of European Bison ( Bison bonasus , also known as wisent) into the South-Western Carpathians of Romania in the 2010s. It compares it with longer-term recovery efforts in the Białowieża forest in Poland and reveals how interventions and non-interventions have been practised in the conservation history of this species. I trace the complexities of lived reintroduction processes, both contemporary and historical. I show that practices of recovering European bison have (slowly) shifted away from a controlling approach to reintroductions inspired by livestock breeding, and towards a hands-off rewilding approach. Yet, entangled human–wildlife histories, in which management has been paramount, challenge contemporary non-intervention rewilding paradigms that advocate for the autonomy and agency of wildlife. Reintroduction managers walk a fine line between intervention and relinquishment, care and containment, permanently recalibrating human–animal relationships. This article was published open access under a CC BY 4.0 licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Reintroducing bison to Banff National Park – an ecocultural case study

The reintroduction of extirpated species is a frequent tactic in rewilding projects because of the functional role species play in maintaining ecosystem health. Despite their potential to benefit both ecosystems and society, however, most well-known species reintroductions have adopted an eco-centric, “nature-in-people-out” approach. Rewilding theory and practitioners acknowledge that ignoring the role Indigenous people did and might once again play in shaping the distribution, abundance, movements, behavior, and health of wild species and ecosystems, is limiting. In this case study, we describe the technical steps we took and how Indigenous knowledge, ceremony, and cultural monitoring were woven into the recent reintroduction of plains bison to Canada’s Banff National Park. Six years later, the reintroduced bison herd has grown from 16 to >100 animals, ranges mostly within 30 km of the release site, and, if current growth continues, will likely be managed with Indigenous harvesting. Transboundary bison policy differences are shifting and may lead to bison being more sustainable. The ecocultural approach, therefore, has increased the resilience of our rewilding project.

Functional consequences of animal community changes in managed grasslands: An application of the CAFE approach.

In the midst of an ongoing biodiversity crisis, much research has focused on species losses and their impacts on ecosystem functioning. The functional consequences (ecosystem response) of shifts in communities are shaped not only by changes in species richness, but also by compositional shifts that result from species losses and gains. Species differ in their contribution to ecosystem functioning, so species identity underlies the consequences of species losses and gains on ecosystem functions. Such research is critical to better predict the impact of disturbances on communities and ecosystems. We used the "Community Assembly and the Functioning of Ecosystems" (CAFE) approach, a modification of the Price equation to understand the functional consequences and relative effects of richness and composition changes in small nonvolant mammal and dung beetle communities as a result of two common disturbances in North American prairie restorations, prescribed fire and the reintroduction of large grazing mammals. Previous research in this system has shown dung beetles are critically important decomposers, while small mammals modulate much energy in prairie food webs. We found that dung beetle communities were more responsive to bison reintroduction and prescribed fires than small nonvolant mammals. Dung beetle richness increased after bison reintroduction, with higher dung beetle community biomass resulting from changes in remaining species (context-dependent component) rather than species turnover (richness components); prescribed fire caused a minor increase in dung beetle biomass for the same reason. For small mammals, bison reintroduction reduced energy transfer through the loss of species, while prescribed fire had little impact on either small mammal richness or energy transfer. The CAFE approach demonstrates how bison reintroduction controls small nonvolant mammal communities by increasing prairie food web complexity, and increases dung beetle populations with possible benefits for soil health through dung mineralization and soil bioturbation. Prescribed fires, however, have little effect on small mammals and dung beetles, suggesting a resilience to fire. These findings illustrate the key role of re-establishing historical disturbance regimes when restoring endangered prairie ecosystems and their ecological function.

From Reintroduction to Rewilding: Autonomy, Agency and the Messy Liberation of the European Bison

In the age of the sixth extinction, human interventions to save endangered species have become bigger, bolder and costlier than ever. Yet, policies of species conservation have also favoured non-intervention, furthering the idea that humans have tampered too much with wildness and wilderness. This article examines a reintroduction of European Bison ( Bison bonasus , also known as wisent) into the South-Western Carpathians of Romania in the 2010s. It compares it with longer-term recovery efforts in the Białowieża forest in Poland and reveals how interventions and non-interventions have been practised in the conservation history of this species. I trace the complexities of lived reintroduction processes, both contemporary and historical. I show that practices of recovering European bison have (slowly) shifted away from a controlling approach to reintroductions inspired by livestock breeding, and towards a hands-off rewilding approach. Yet, entangled human–wildlife histories, in which management has been paramount, challenge contemporary non-intervention rewilding paradigms that advocate for the autonomy and agency of wildlife. Reintroduction managers walk a fine line between intervention and relinquishment, care and containment, permanently recalibrating human–animal relationships.

Artificial Waterholes for European Bison as Biodiversity Hotspots in Forest Ecosystems: Ecological Effects of Species Reintroduction Activities

Despite the growing population of European bison (Bison bonasus), it is necessary to plan the reintroduction of these animals to new areas. Reintroduction of European bison often requires the improvement of natural conditions. Such preparatory activities allow European bison to more easily adapt to new places, but also impact the functioning of animals from other taxa. The aim of the presented study was to examine the impact of waterholes for European bison on the development of local populations of amphibians and dragonflies (Odonata), as well as the creation of new feeding grounds for bats. We examined 15 reservoirs in the Augustów Forest District located in northeastern Poland, of which five were waterholes for European bison built in 2013–2014, four were semi-natural reservoirs transformed into waterholes for European bison in 2018, and six were natural reservoirs. Dragonflies were studied in 2021–2022; amphibians in 2018 and 2020; and bats in 2018, 2019, and 2020. In total, 24 species of dragonflies (Odonata), 10 species of amphibians, and 13 species of bats were found. The results of the inventory of three taxonomic groups using different comparative variants indicate a significant impact of the construction of waterholes for European bison on the biodiversity of the forest ecosystem. We concluded that the waterholes for European bison present better resistance to drying out than natural reservoirs. In addition, waterholes warm up more quickly, supporting better conditions for amphibians. The surface of the reservoirs and their exposed surroundings are favorable for insects (including dragonflies), and these are a source of food for bats, becoming attractive feeding grounds for them.

The impact of bison reintroduction on local economies

AbstractBison is an important and iconic mammal in the U.S. that is being reintroduced in many places after being driven nearly to extinction. This paper provides a nationwide assessment of the local economic impacts of bison reintroduction so that rural communities can take economic well-being into account when considering decisions regarding future bison restorations. We estimate the causal impacts of bison herd establishment on county-level income, employment, and population growth using staggered difference-in-difference and the synthetic control approaches. The simple positive correlation between local per capita income and bison herds might lead planners to think that bison reintroduction is good for the local economy. However, none of the causal inference analyses find statistically significant effects of bison reintroduction.

The Reintroduction Analysis of European Bison (Bison bonasus L., 1758) in the North of Romania and the Identification of the Most Favourable Locations

We analysed the possibility of reintroducing the European bison (Bison bonasus L.) in the north of Romania—in Suceava, Neamț, and Maramureș counties—as well as increasing the wild European bison population in Neamț county to improve the genetic quality of the existing population. Currently, there is a population of over 50 individuals in the wild in Vânători Neamț Natural Park, Romania. At the same time, an attempt was made to identify the connecting corridors between the free European bison in Neamț county and other populations through new nuclei of European bison released in Suceava and Maramureș counties. In this regard, the hunting grounds with the highest ecological potential for the analysed species were identified using GIS spatial analysis techniques. The aim was also to trace possible ecological corridors linking different reintroduction locations, taking into account the ecological claims of the species. The analysis also followed the size of the European bison groups to be released, the sex ratio of each group, and the periodicity of their releasing. In order to reach viable populations, scenarios and simulations were carried out depending on the age, number, and sex of the relocated specimens. In this regard, the dynamics and the minimum viable population that could survive without risk of extinction were highlighted. The analysis showed that the analysed area has a high potential for the reintroduction of European bison in the wild. The release and creation of new European bison nuclei in the wild creates the premises for natural contacts with the existing free populations in the wild, genetic improvement, and increasing fauna diversity with ecological, social, and economic implications.

Bison Reintroduction to Mixed-Grass Prairie Is Associated With Increases in Bird Diversity and Cervid Occupancy in Riparian Areas

In grassland ecosystems, grazing by large herbivores is a highly influential process that affects biodiversity by modifying the vegetative environment through selective consumption. Here, we test whether restoration of bison is associated with increased bird diversity and cervid occupancy in networks of riparian habitat within a temperate grassland ecosystem, mixed-grass prairie in northcentral Montana, United States. We used a long time-series of remote sensing imagery to examine changes in riparian vegetation structure in stream networks within bison and cattle pastures. We then assessed how vegetation structure influenced diversity of bird communities and detection rates of mammals in these same riparian networks. We found that percent cover of woody vegetation, and native grasses and forbs increased more rapidly over time in bison pastures, and that these changes in vegetation structure were associated with increased bird diversity and cervid occupancy. In conclusion, bison reintroduction appears to function as a passive riparian restoration strategy with positive diversity outcomes for birds and mammals.

Assessing the Impacts of Prescribed Fire and Bison Disturbance on Birds Using Bioacoustic Recorders

Grassland bird responses to grazing and prescribed fire are species-specific and are primarily known from systems with cattle as the predominant grazer. There is less knowledge of how grazing by bison impacts grassland birds, especially in sites restored and reconstructed from row-crop agriculture. Working at a tallgrass prairie site consisting of restored and remnant prairie in the years following bison reintroduction and ongoing prescribed burning, we assessed overall species richness and the relative detection frequency of five focal species (Grasshopper Sparrow, Henslow's Sparrow, Dickcissel, Eastern Meadowlark, and Brown-headed Cowbird). We used stationary bioacoustics recorders to record the soundscape during the summer breeding season in areas with and without bison from 2016 to 2018. Species richness and the detection frequencies of our focal species were not influenced by bison disturbance. Grasshopper Sparrow and Dickcissel detection frequency increased slightly in response to prescribed fire, whereas Henslow's Sparrow detection frequency decreased. Time since sites were restored was a predominant factor that influenced the variation in detection frequency of Henslow's Sparrows and Eastern Meadowlarks, likely due to vegetation differences in restored versus remnant sites and each species' vegetation structure preferences. Brown-headed Cowbird detection frequency was unaffected by bison presence, prescribed fire, or time since restoration, but varied among sampling years. Our focal species showed no response to bison disturbance 4 y after the bison reintroduction. This suggests there could be a time-lag for a response or that these species will not respond to the bison reintroduction at this study site.

Bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus) Declines Follow Bison (Bison bison) Reintroduction on Private Conservation Grasslands.

Simple SummaryNorth American grassland birds evolved with American bison (Bison bison), until overhunting drove bison to near-extinction > 150 years ago. Bison have now been reintroduced to many areas that provide important nesting habitat for grassland birds, which are now among the most rapidly declining birds in North America. However, little is known about bison interactions with birds such as Bobolinks (Dolichonyx oryzivorus), obligate grassland nesting songbirds of conservation concern. Using data collected over an 18-year period, we assessed the effects of bison reintroduction, together with other land management and climate factors, on Bobolinks in a private conservation area comprising 24 km2 of native grasslands in the North American Great Plains. In grasslands where bison were reintroduced, Bobolink abundance (adult numbers) declined by 62%, and productivity (juvenile numbers) declined by 84%. By contrast, Bobolink populations remained stable over the same time period in adjacent grasslands where bison were not reintroduced. Bobolink abundance and productivity increased in years following warmer and wetter winters, but nevertheless declined over time in grasslands where the bison population doubled. Where bison are reintroduced and confined in high densities, overgrazing, trampling, and related impacts may drive severe declines in Bobolinks and other grassland birds of conservation concern.Among the most rapidly declining birds in continental North America, grassland birds evolved with American bison (Bison bison) until bison nearly became extinct due to overhunting. Bison populations have subsequently rebounded due to reintroductions on conservation lands, but the impacts of bison on grassland nesting birds remain largely unknown. We investigated how bison reintroduction, together with other land management and climate factors, affected breeding populations of a grassland bird species of conservation concern, the Bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus). We quantified population changes in Bobolinks over an 18-year period in conservation grasslands where bison were reintroduced, compared with adjacent grasslands grazed by cattle and where hay was harvested after the bird breeding season. Four years after bison reintroduction, the bison population in the study area had doubled, while Bobolink abundance declined 62% and productivity declined 84%. Our findings suggest that bison reintroduction as a conservation strategy may be counterproductive in grassland fragments where overgrazing, trampling, and other negative impacts drive declines in grassland breeding birds. Where bird conservation is an objective, small grassland reserves may therefore be inappropriate sites for bison reintroduction. To maximize conservation benefits to birds, land managers should prioritize protecting grassland birds from disturbance during the bird breeding season.

Impacts of a Recent Bison Reintroduction on Grassland Bird Nests and Potential Mechanisms for These Effects

The majority of tallgrass prairie has been converted to agriculture over the past two centuries. Restoration projects have sought to increase the quality and size of prairie fragments, with the potential to increase grassland breeding bird habitat. American bison (Bison bison) are being reintroduced to prairie restoration sites and the immediate impacts of these reintroductions are unclear. Our goal was to understand how bison reintroduction influences grassland bird nests and the potential mechanisms behind any change. We measured nest density, nest success, and brood parasitism with a before-after-control-impact (BACI) design to determine if bison influenced pooled nesting success of breeding passerines and field sparrows (Spizella pusilla), the most common nester. In addition, we measured visual obstruction and avian species composition to determine if they changed after the reintroduction. Bison did not influence nest density, brood parasitism, or visual obstruction. Pooled nest success was higher during the first 2 y in bison sites after the reintroduction but decreased the following 2 y. Bird species composition differed slightly between areas with and without bison, but this was not due to the reintroduction and was likely due to other site characteristics. Field sparrow nest success was higher before and after reintroduction in bison sites and drove the pooled nest success results in bison sites. Caution should be taken when interpreting pooled nest data, but these results suggest that bison did not negatively impact nest success of grassland nesting birds immediately following their reintroduction (<5 y).

Challenges and opportunities for cross-jurisdictional bison conservation in North America

Restoring free-roaming mammals that fill critical ecological roles requires large connected landscapes that cross jurisdictional boundaries. Plains bison, once nearly extirpated from North America, are now confined to several larger free-roaming herds and a number of small fenced herds in regions where they are often managed as livestock rather than wildlife. Although bison reintroduction efforts are rapidly gaining momentum, restoring free-roaming bison remains challenged by real and perceived wildlife-human conflict. Thus, developing a shared vision for bison recovery, or at least understanding and acknowledging diverse visions, could be critical to success. To address this need, we surveyed experts from government, academia, and conservation organizations to evaluate if there is a shared long-term vision for bison, and to identify the most significant challenges, promising strategies, and research priorities for achieving this vision. We found that most respondents support a future with fenced herds as well as more free-roaming (unfenced) herds, and value bison as wildlife and cultural animals, rather than for livestock. Key challenges to achieving more free-roaming bison included political will, social acceptability, and management across jurisdictional boundaries. Respondents identified successful strategies for overcoming barriers as bottom-up collaborations, economic incentives, and demonstration projects. Research priorities were largely social rather than biophysical, with a strong focus on how to motivate broad public support for free-roaming herds. As an ecological and cultural keystone species, restoring large and connected bison herds where human-bison co-existence is feasible will reap rewards for nature and people.

Methane efflux from an American bison herd

Abstract. American bison (Bison bison L.) have recovered from the brink of extinction over the past century. Bison reintroduction creates multiple environmental benefits, but impacts on greenhouse gas emissions are poorly understood. Bison are thought to have produced some 2 Tg yr−1 of the estimated 9–15 Tg yr−1 of pre-industrial enteric methane emissions, but few measurements have been made due to their mobile grazing habits and safety issues associated with measuring non-domesticated animals. Here, we measure methane and carbon dioxide fluxes from a bison herd on an enclosed pasture during daytime periods in winter using eddy covariance. Methane emissions from the study area were negligible in the absence of bison (mean ± standard deviation = −0.0009 ± 0.008 µmol m−2 s−1) and were significantly greater than zero, 0.048 ± 0.082 µmol m−2 s−1, with a positively skewed distribution, when bison were present. We coupled bison location estimates from automated camera images with two independent flux footprint models to calculate a mean per-animal methane efflux of 58.5 µmol s−1 per bison, similar to eddy covariance measurements of methane efflux from a cattle feedlot during winter. When we sum the observations over time with conservative uncertainty estimates we arrive at 81 g CH4 per bison d−1 with 95 % confidence intervals between 54 and 109 g CH4 per bison d−1. Uncertainty was dominated by bison location estimates (46 % of the total uncertainty), then the flux footprint model (33 %) and the eddy covariance measurements (21 %), suggesting that making higher-resolution animal location estimates is a logical starting point for decreasing total uncertainty. Annual measurements are ultimately necessary to determine the full greenhouse gas burden of bison grazing systems. Our observations highlight the need to compare greenhouse gas emissions from different ruminant grazing systems and demonstrate the potential for using eddy covariance to measure methane efflux from non-domesticated animals.

Coming Home Again: Inherent Tribal Sovereignty, the Tribal Wildlife Grant Program, and their Potential for Endemic Wildlife Reintroduction

Despite centuries of federal and state policies that have resulted in extinction or endangerment for multitudes of wildlife species with cultural, ecological, and historical significance to indigenous nations throughout the United States, many tribes have begun to attempt wildlife reintroduction in and near Indian Country, with or without federal or state support, and sometimes in spite of strident opposition. Recent efforts, including the reintroduction of bison to the Fort Peck and Wind River Reservations, the Nez Perce and Yurok Tribes’ release of California condors, and the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation’s reintroduction of pronghorn antelope, have shown early signs of success. Tribes attempting to reintroduce endangered, threatened, or extirpated species have used a variety of legal and other tools to further their efforts, sometimes in combinations that reflect unique values or particular history connecting the tribe to the reintroduced species. The focus of this Article is an option that has received relatively little scholarly examination–the Tribal Wildlife Grant Program (“TWG” or “TWG Program”). The TWG Program presents a unique means by which tribes can establish, or reestablish, wildlife management frameworks largely free of federal oversight or intervention, allowing tribes to avoid certain complications of the federal-tribal legal relationship that have impeded many past tribal wildlife management efforts. The Program also allows tribes to choose when and how to partner with states, a significant improvement over other wildlife conservation and management frameworks that used a federalism structure. Finally, the Program provides a mechanism for actualizing inherent tribal sovereignty for tribes that are willing to establish positive laws in connection with their reintroduction efforts.

Modification of plant communities by bison in Riding Mountain National Park

ABSTRACT Plains bison (Bison bison bison) are suspected to have played an important role in maintaining and structuring the plant communities throughout the Aspen Parkland. We examine the effects of a fenced bison herd on grassland plant communities in Riding Mountain National Park, Manitoba, Canada. We focus on the relationship between bison and woody plant encroachment along the forest-grassland ecotone, and on the effects that short- and long-term occupation by bison have on Festuca hallii grassland communities including the effects of bison reintroduction to a grassland area ungrazed by bison for 165 years. We found limited impacts of bison on the shrub community at the forest grassland edge. Bison rarely entered areas with dense, tall shrub understories, and thus bison cannot be a major factor controlling the ecotone. Shrub stem mortality due to fire may be a necessary precursor to bison effectively mitigating woody encroachment in the Aspen Parkland. We found limited short-term impacts of bison on grassland communities, with reduced sward heights but no change in composition. The long-term (>80 year) presence of bison was associated with greater species richness, reduced litter accumulation, and a distinct plant community composition compared to areas without bison impacts.

Green Vegetation Cover Dynamics in a Heterogeneous Grassland: Spectral Unmixing of Landsat Time Series from 1999 to 2014

The ability to quantify green vegetation across space and over time is useful for studying grassland health and function and improving our understanding of the impact of land use and climate change on grasslands. Directly measuring the fraction of green vegetation cover is labor-intensive and thus only practical on relatively smaller experimental sites. Remote sensing vegetation indices, as a commonly-used method for large-area vegetation mapping, were found to produce inconsistent accuracies when mapping green vegetation in semi-arid grasslands, largely due to mixed pixels including both photosynthetic and non-photosynthetic material. The spectral mixture approach has the potential to map the fraction of green vegetation cover in a heterogeneous landscape, thanks to its ability to decompose a spectral signal from a mixed pixel into a set of fractional abundances. In this study, a time series of fractional green vegetation cover (FGVC) from 1999 to 2014 is estimated using the spectral mixture approach for a semi-arid mixed grassland, which represents a typical threatened, species-rich habitat in Central Canada. The shape of pixel clouds in each of the Landsat images is used to identify three major image endmembers (green vegetation, bare soil/litter, and water/shadow) for automated image spectral unmixing. The FGVC derived through the spectral mixture approach correlates highly with field observations (R2 = 0.86). Change in the FGVC over the study period was also mapped, and green vegetation in badlands and uplands is found to experience a slight increase, while vegetation in riparian zone shows a decrease. Only a small portion of the study area is undergoing significant changes, which is likely attributable to climate variability, bison reintroduction, and wildfire. The results of this study suggest that the automated spectral unmixing approach is promising, and the time series of medium-resolution images is capable of identifying changes in green vegetation cover in semi-arid grasslands. Further research should investigate driving forces for areas undergoing significant changes.

Assessing spatial preference heterogeneity in a mixed-use landscape

Discrete choice experiments are playing an increasingly important role in environmental valuation given their potential to characterize the implicit tradeoffs that stakeholders are willing to make among competing future conditions. Yet, most choice models focus on specific populations and policy issues rather than examining landscape-level preferences across regional spatial scales. We investigated the spatial heterogeneity of public preferences across an American Midwestern county using data from interviews, focus groups, and a mixed-mode household survey that included a discrete choice experiment. This study generated geo-located individual-specific parameter estimates to determine how a suite of land use and economic attributes were driving residents’ visions for the future of Will County, IL, including residential growth, protected grasslands, recreation, agriculture, bison reintroduction, and unemployment rates. Global and local spatial autocorrelation patterns were used to examine the landscape preferences expressed by individual respondents in relation to their neighbors. Results showed that preferences within the sample were heterogeneous across all model attributes. Local spatial autocorrelation findings also revealed local clustering of high to low preferences that was particularly pronounced for agriculture and residential growth. We provide insight on how location of residence relates to stakeholder preferences for landscape attributes to guide planning and management agencies faced with the allocation of scarce resources on the rural-urban fringe.