Ecological drought in Montana: practitioner perspectives, needs, and knowledge sharing

Abstract

Ecological drought and its impacts are extensive and unpredictable, influenced by social, ecological, and interacting factors. Thus, ecological drought represents a social-ecological systems (SES) challenge characterized by dynamism, complexity, and uncertainty. SES challenges require adaptive approaches. The challenge of monitoring ecological drought is furthered by the lack of dedicated and reliable ecological drought monitoring strategies. To address this, I conducted interviews with and administered survey questions to natural resource practitioners in Montana. Practitioners were asked about the indicators they use to recognize ecological drought and the impacts they experience. Results demonstrate high levels of expertise related to individual management concerns, indicating a need for coordination among practitioners to contribute to the holistic thinking and collaboration necessary for effective adaptive approaches. Practitioners also report a need for more and better data and improved communication to improve ecological drought monitoring in Montana. These needs present practitioners' desire to reduce epistemic uncertainty and highlight strategies for operating amid irreducible uncertainty. Finally, I found that practitioners predominantly exchange knowledge about ecological drought through informal conversations, suggesting that increased valuation and incorporation of multiple types of knowledge can improve ecological drought monitoring efforts. These results underscore the importance of adaptive decision-making in response to ecological drought and highlight opportunities to foster ongoing learning, embracing uncertainty, and knowledge sharing among practitioners and other decision-makers in Montana. Overall, this dissertation contributes 1) an increased understanding of the ecological drought indicators that practitioners use and the impacts they recognize, 2) an examination of practitioners' needs for improving ecological drought monitoring amid uncertainty, and 3) a report on how ecological drought knowledge is shared by practitioners in Montana.