American Bison - Buffalo Field Campaign

ecologically dominant keystone species over much of its range.
Thus the ecological integrity and diversity of ecosystems in
which they occurred, whether defined historically or biologically,
will depend on large-scale restoration of the bison.
10.2 Ecological Restoration
Ecological restoration provides a conceptual framework for
bison restoration at medium to broad scales. It can be defined
as the intentional process of assisting the recovery of an
ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged, or destroyed
relative to a reference state or a trajectory through time (SERI
and IUCN Commission on Ecosystem Management 2004). The
goal of ecological restoration is an ecosystem that is resilient to
perturbation, is self-sustaining with respect to structure, species
composition and function, is integrated into large landscapes,
and supporting sustainable human livelihoods. Many healthy
ecosystems are a product of human endeavours over very long
time periods. In many cases then, ecological restoration projects
typically requires the participation of resource-dependant human
communities, and have the potential to support ecologically
sustainable economies in rural communities. Bison play
important ecological roles (Chapter 6), as well as meaningful
cultural and economic roles (Chapters 2 and 7). They are
increasingly providing a viable alternative to grazing exotic
domestic herbivores (Renecker et al. 1989).
Ecological restoration of bison: The re-
establishment of a population of several
thousand individuals of the appropriate sub-
species, in an area of their original range, in
which bison interact in ecologically significant
ways with the fullest possible set of other
native species and other biophysical elements
of the landscape, and connect in meaningful
ways with human communities, with minimal
management interventions (adapted from
Sanderson et al. 2008).
Sanderson et al. (2008) asserted that by sharing an inclusive,
affirmative and specific vision and knowledge about bison and
landscape conservation with a wide range of stakeholders,
opportunities can be created to restore bison in ecologically
effective herds roaming across extensive landscapes in all
major habitats of their original range. Here we define the full, or
ideal, ecological restoration of bison as the re-establishment of
a population of several thousand individuals of the appropriate
104 American Bison: Status Survey and Conservation Guidelines 2010
sub-species, in an area of original range, in which bison interact
in ecologically significant ways with the fullest possible set of
other native species and biophysical elements of the landscape,
with minimal management interventions. This is not to say
that populations smaller than several thousand bison do not
contribute to bison conservation, or to restoration of ecological
processes (e.g., grazing, soil disturbance, decomposition,
nutrient cycling, predation, scavenging; Chapter 6). However,
some processes, such as migration and natural selection,
may be absent or not function as completely at smaller scales
(Chapter 9). Sanderson et al. (2008) provide specific criteria for
ranking the contribution of bison herds to ecological restoration.
10.2.1 Geographic potential for ecological restoration
The Wildlife Conservation Society hosted a workshop in May
2006 at Vermejo Park Ranch, New Mexico that involved 28
people, including bison specialists, indigenous groups, bison
producers, conservation organisations, and government
and private land managers, from throughout North America.
Among other objectives, participants worked to draft a vision
for ecological recovery of the American bison, to develop a
consensus hypothesis on major habitat types within the original
range that would be useful for representative conservation
planning, and to map areas for potential ecological recovery over
the next 20, 50, and 100 years (Sanderson et al. 2008; also see
Chapter 7). The methods used to achieve these objectives were
similar to those pioneered for jaguars (Sanderson et al. 2002)
and subsequently applied to other species (e.g., Thorbjarnarson
et al. 2006) under the title of “range-wide priority-setting”.
A vision referred to as “The Vermejo Statement” was developed
for the ecological future of the American bison (Sanderson et al.
2008):
“Over the next century, the ecological recovery of the North
American bison will occur when multiple large herds move freely
across extensive landscapes within all major habitats of their
historic range, interacting in ecologically significant ways with
the fullest possible set of other native species, and inspiring,
sustaining and connecting human cultures.
This vision will be realised through a collaborative process
engaging a broad range of public, private, and indigenous
partners who contribute to bison recovery by:
• Maintaining herds that meet the criteria for ecological
recovery, as well as herds that contribute in some
significant way to the overall vision, regardless of size,
• Managing herds for the long-term maintenance of
health, genetic diversity, and integrity of the species,
• Restoring native ecosystems, ecological interactions,
and species,
• Providing conservation incentives for bison producers,
managers, and other stakeholders,