Spatially Explicit State-and-Transition Modeling for Rangeland Conservation Planning | F18AS00321

Opportunity Information: Apply for F18AS00321

The grant opportunity titled "Spatially Explicit State-and-Transition Modeling for Rangeland Conservation Planning" (Funding Opportunity Number F18AS00321) was offered by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service as a discretionary cooperative agreement within the Natural Resources funding activity area (CFDA 15.678). The project is aimed at improving how rangeland conditions are mapped, monitored, and used in decision-making, with a particular emphasis on conservation planning tied to sage-grouse habitat and overall rangeland productivity.

At its core, the award supports the development of spatially explicit State-and-Transition Models (STMs) for rangelands. STMs are a framework used in rangeland ecology and management to describe how landscapes shift among different vegetation or ecological "states" over time, and what triggers those changes (for example, wildfire, drought, grazing pressure, invasive species expansion, or restoration treatments). By making these models spatially explicit, the work goes beyond conceptual diagrams and produces map-based products that show where different ecological states occur across the landscape, allowing managers to see patterns, risks, and opportunities geographically rather than only in narrative or site-level form.

A major component of the work is linking STM map products to remote sensing data so that rangeland conditions can be monitored into the future. This means aligning the STM framework with satellite or aerial imagery-derived indicators (such as vegetation cover, greenness, bare ground, shrub presence, or disturbance signals) so that changes can be detected repeatedly and consistently over time. The intent is to create a foundation where monitoring is not a one-off map product, but an ongoing capability that can be updated as new remote sensing data become available, enabling trend tracking and early warning for degradation or habitat loss.

The opportunity also calls for developing a conservation planning tool that can be used to test potential outcome scenarios. In practical terms, this implies a decision-support or scenario analysis tool that takes the STM maps (and related monitoring layers) and allows planners to ask "what if" questions. Examples of these scenario questions could include how rangeland states might change under different management strategies, where restoration investments might deliver the biggest habitat gains, what areas are most vulnerable to undesirable transitions, or how priorities shift under different assumptions about future disturbance or climate conditions. The scenario testing aspect is intended to help define conservation priorities by comparing outcomes across alternative strategies, rather than relying solely on static maps or qualitative judgments.

Finally, the results are expected to be integrated into recommendations for next-generation monitoring of sage-grouse habitat and rangeland productivity. Sage-grouse conservation often depends on maintaining large, intact sagebrush systems and limiting conversion to undesirable states (such as annual grass dominance) that increase fire risk and reduce habitat suitability. By combining STM mapping, remote sensing linkages, and scenario-based planning, the project is positioned to inform how agencies and partners monitor habitat condition, detect change, and target conservation actions more effectively, with an explicit tie between ecological theory (state-and-transition dynamics) and operational monitoring approaches.

In terms of administrative details, eligibility was limited to public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, suggesting the work was intended to be led by universities or similar public academic entities, often in partnership with agencies given the cooperative agreement structure. The opportunity was created on December 21, 2018, with an original closing date of December 28, 2018, indicating a short application window. The award ceiling was $526,910, and the agency anticipated making one award, implying a single, relatively substantial project intended to produce a cohesive set of mapping, monitoring, and decision-support deliverables rather than funding multiple smaller projects.

• The Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Spatially Explicit State-and-Transition Modeling for Rangeland Conservation Planning" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.678.
• This funding opportunity was created on Dec 21, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Dec 28, 2018. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $526,910.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education.

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