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Cattle ranchers are challenged to meet the needs of a growing population in an environmentally sustainable manner while also contributing to biodiversity conservation on rangelands. Incentive programs have been developed to encourage voluntary stewardship of endangered species on privately owned and managed lands. However, there is a lack of evidence regarding the efficacy of such programs from the perspective of the rancher. We interviewed cattle ranchers participating in a national program that supported voluntary stewardship initiatives to support the recovery of species at risk in southwest Saskatchewan, Canada. Out of 23 ranchers interviewed, 21 identified as having ranched their entire lives. Their insights provide expert opinion on species at risk conservation on privately managed agricultural lands. The data found that 100% of the interviewed ranchers were satisfied with the program they were involved in and felt that being in the program was beneficial to them. Through participation in this voluntary stewardship program, these ranchers actively conserved habitat for species at risk and were rewarded for their stewardship. Other significant findings were the value of having a local delivery agency for stewardship programs, and the need to educate the general public about the species at risk habitat stewardship that cattle ranchers provide. We conclude with eight recommendations for national program consideration to contribute to more effective and robust policy development regarding species at risk conservation on agricultural lands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a need to increase regional and community level action towards adaptation to climate change. Natural resource managers and planners have to make challenging decisions within the complex and uncertain arena of climate change. Environmental decision support systems (EDSS) have been developed to assist stakeholders in effective decision making for the management of complex natural resource problems. EDSS which combine community engagement in developing future scenarios with computer-based land use planning and modeling tools are used internationally and reported to be effective. Yet, they are often not used after the research and development phase. To gain an understanding of the effectiveness of these tools, we interviewed the end users of an EDSS used in a climate change adaptation project in Canada and another in Australia. The end users of the tool are key informants, yet their perspective is lacking in the sustainability science literature. The findings show that neither EDSS was used after the projects ended. However, the majority of the end users in both projects valued the EDSS, confirming that the tools resulted in direct adaptation activities and influenced the thinking and work habits of the end users of the EDSS. We report on lessons learned from the two case studies and make recommendations regarding the processes and structures required to increase the effectiveness of the EDSS, its long-term use, and the legacy of learning that is embodied within it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]