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Three common benefits of NBS implementation were identified that span multiple NBS strategies:
Supporting Native Plant Species
Many NBS strategies are intended to improve conditions to support native plant species—for example, by restoring hydrologic or geomorphic conditions to match native plants’ needs, removing invasive plants or pests that threaten native species’ survival, and directly planting native vegetation. Native plants have many ecological benefits compared to nonnative (even if noninvasive) plants (USFS n.d.). Some native species require less water than nonnative plants, making them more resilient to drought and less likely to reduce water availability for nearby natural or human communities. They are also less vulnerable to fire than many invasive plants, which contribute to high-severity wildfires in the western United States (Brooks et al. 2004). Native plants also provide habitat to other native species and therefore contribute to overall ecosystem health (USFS n.d.). Therefore, it is important to select native plants whenever revegetation is required as part of an NBS project, even if native plants are not a focus of the project.
There are many resources available to help select native plants suitable for a particular site. The USDA PLANTS tool includes many filters such as nativity status, state, growth requirements (shade, precipitation, drought tolerance, soil texture, and more), height, and flowering season. There are also tools to identify plants that benefit certain wildlife, such as butterflies (National Wildlife Federation Native Plant Finder) or birds (Audubon Native Plants Database). Many state agencies also have native plant guides specific to their region (e.g., Michigan State University Plant Search Tool, Virginia Native Plant Finder). It is important to incorporate future climate projections when identifying the right native species to plant. As climate continues to shift, the appropriate habitat range for species will too. Resources for considering climate shifts when selecting species included the USDA Forest Service (USFS) Climate Change Tree Atlas, USDA Seedlot Selection Tool, and USFS Plant Species and Climate Profile Predictions.
Box 4: Examples of DOI Keystone Species Management
- North American beavers are ecosystem engineers that alter landscape hydrology when they create dams. Beaver management can have drastic effects on how water moves through an ecosystem and even what habitats are able to establish. For example, in some areas beaver ranges are expanding with climate change and beaver management might be needed to allow historic ecosystems to persist.
- NPS has set up an alert system to notify the public of a newly identified fungal disease called rapid ʻōhiʻa death (ROD) that is killing ʻōhiʻa trees. The ʻōhiʻa flower is a keystone species providing food for numerous endemic Hawaiian birds. NPS is tracking existing ROD cases and amplifying public guidance for how to avoid the spread of the disease and protect the ʻōhiʻa.
- Wolves, a keystone predator, were locally extirpated from Yellowstone National Park in the early 1900s. In 1995, wolves were reintroduced to the park. Almost 30 years later, habitats have changed dramatically (in part resulting from wolf-related control of herbivores), and there is evidence that Yellowstone biodiversity has increased as a result of the wolf reintroduction (NPS n.d., Smith and Peterson 2021).
Avoided Habitat Conversion/Loss
DOI plays a vital role in the federal America the Beautiful initiative, which aims to conserve, connect, and restore 30% of US lands and waters by 2030. Conserving and enhancing native habitats is an explicit goal of many of the NBS strategies included in this Roadmap. For example, assisted marsh migration is intended to preserve the total area of coastal marsh as some existing marsh is lost to sea level rise, thinning reduces the risk of catastrophic wildfire that can wipe out forested areas, and prescribed fire maintains native grasslands. While each DOI bureau has a different mission and approach to land conservation and management, all have opportunities to contribute to enhanced land management and reduce habitat loss.
Protecting Keystone Species
Keystone species are those that are essential for an ecosystem to function. When a keystone species declines or is removed completely from an ecosystem, it sets off a chain reaction that can dramatically alter the structure and functioning of an ecological community and can even cause ecosystem collapse. These species are not necessarily the most abundant in a particular system, but they play a disproportionately large role in the sustainability of an ecosystem (Denchak 2019, Wagner 2010). Conservation, management, or reintroduction of keystone species are important for maintaining or reestablishing ecosystem structure and function (Wagner 2010). Nature-based solutions may directly affect keystone species (e.g., beaver management or invasive and nuisance species removal) or focus on enhancing habitat to support keystone species.
DOI has been involved in managing keystone species for decades and will continue to do so. Keystone species management helps the natural or modified ecosystems managed through nature-based solutions to function as intended (Box 4).