What does this mean for mangers?

Figure 4: Once mastered, behavioral principles and practices provide an array of solutions to the problems people face in managing to improve the integrity of the land and to make a living from the land. Unlike the infrastructure of a ranch such as corrals, fences, and water development, behavioral solutions cost very little to implement and they are easily transferred from one situation to the next.

Unfortunately, scientists and managers often ignore the power of behavior to transform systems, despite compelling evidence. We know the environment, continually interacting with the genome during the growth and development of an organism, creates behavioral responses. Though experiences during development in utero and early in life are especially critical, genome-environment interactions continue throughout life.

Thus, the issue isn't if animals are adapting to ongoing changes in social and physical environments - they do so every day of their lives. The only question is whether or not people want to be a part of that process. For those willing to understand how environments interact with the genome to influence behavior, the potential is virtually unlimited. The challenge is to understand and apply the principles to one’s life.

In that sense, rather than developing and transferring “technology” packages, we aim to change, fundamentally, the way people understand and use behavior to manage ecosystems. We want people to realize the power of behavior to transform systems ecologically, economically, and culturally.

To do so, we are conducting outreach, education, and research activities that will:(1) improve economic viability and ecological integrity of pasture- and range-based enterprises, (2) enhance and maintain biodiversity of rangelands, (3) restore pastures and rangelands dominated by weeds, (4) optimize wildlife benefits to land owners, managers, and users, (5) mitigate livestock abuse of riparian areas, (6) improve our ability to manage complex adaptive systems.