Fig 1.
Map of the western US showing the boundaries of the sagebrush biome (study region) and Priority Areas for Sage Grouse Conservation (PACs), Albers equal area projection.
Fig 2.
Comparison of the proportion of each species distribution (including sage grouse) currently held within Priority Areas for Sage Grouse Conservation (PACs plus PAs), and the proportion that could be held in an equivalent area prioritized across 81 sagebrush-associated species (91 species seasonal distributions, excluding greater and Gunnison’s sage grouse) under two objective functions (Prioritize richness & Prioritize rarity) using decision support tool Zonation.
In all three scenarios we include the area already held in protected areas in the total for a species. The cross-species median coverage under each scenario is shown by a white line. The degree of overlap between these scenarios and PACs for the two sage grouse species was calculated after prioritization and these data points are included in this figure.
Fig 3.
Conservation priority ranking of areas outside the existing protected area estate (PAs–light grey) and Priority Areas for Sage Grouse Conservation (PACs–dark grey) across the western US, Albers equal area projection.
Ranking was based on biological criteria and generated by the decision support tool Zonation across a suite of 81 sagebrush-associated species, under two objective functions and accounting for complementarity (A) the Prioritize richness outside PACs scenario gives a higher ranking to locations that contain greater numbers of species, whereas (B) the Prioritize rarity outside PACs gives a higher ranking to locations containing rare or small-ranged species.
Fig 4.
Proportion of 83 sagebrush-associated species (including sage grouse) ranges that are threatened by land use or land cover change (LULCC—urbanization, cropland conversion or forest expansion) by 2050 or by cheatgrass invasion.
The proportion threatened across the whole study region (teal, yellow), including protected areas, is compared with that threatened within Priority Areas for Sage Grouse Conservation (PACs–blue, red). The cross-species median area threatened is shown by a white line.