Evaluating the Effects of Climate Changes on Grasslands

Determining the effects of climate change on cold region grasslands requires the integration of knowledge from the biological, physical and social sciences. That integration is dependent on new methods, technologies and facilitation techniques ! that allow evaluation and management of complexity rather than focusing on simplification. Specifically, grassland response can be defined as the interaction of 10 basic sectors: (I) wenther and climate (Including chemical factors}, (2) winter, (3) soil properties, (4) assemblages of organisms, (5) energy, (6) economic viability, (7) individual human behavior, (8) cultural and community viability, (9) organisational penalty, and (10) political, legal, policy, and regulatory Influences. These sectors are interactive and interdependent, and none should be ignored without thoughtful consideration. Often scientists, educators, land managers and policy makers tend to overlook the interactions and fail to recognize that management for sustainability depends on their integration. Viewing ecosystems in all of their biological, physical and sociological complexity is critical for informed decision making regarding the effects of climate and other global changes. When policy and management decisions are made, scientific knowledge must become an integral part of the process. We must accept the modern reality that decisions will not be made in isolation from numerous constituencies with varying viewpoints about how ecosystems will be managed. Analyses will require they be done in ways that ensure the decision processes based thereon are open to and comprehensible by not only scientists, policymakers and managers, but often the public at large.