The Pastureland CEAP Effort: Overview and Relation to All National CEAP Components.

Since 2003, NRCS has been involved with the Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP) and has pursued goals to establish a scientific understanding of the effects of conservation practices at the watershed scale, and to estimate conservation impacts and benefits for reporting at the national and regional levels. Past leadership of NRCS has described this as a “conservation accounting system”. The newest CEAP vision includes enhanced natural resources and healthier ecosystems through improved conservation effectiveness and better management of agricultural landscapes.

 

 In order to document was is known and not known concerning the effects of conservation practices on grazing lands, a bibliography of potentially relevant literature was developed by the ARS National Agricultural Library. NRCS has commissioned a synthesis of the pastureland literature pertaining to core management - oriented practices of the agency, as a complement to the bibliography.  The authors of the synthesis have been asked to examine these conservation practices against published literature, with an expectation that new scientific findings and technology will be absorbed to augment NRCS conservation practices.  Professional knowledge and expertise acquired in the field by NRCS conservationists can be supported by principles evident in the science, and refinements in the technology of conservation delivery will result. Gaps in the literature can stimulate new research. 

 

The CEAP pastureland literature synthesis is a complement to the rangeland literature synthesis which is further along in preparation. Together these will complete the grazing lands literature synthesis. The cropland and wildlife literature syntheses were completed over the past three years, and the wetland document is under preparation.

 

Ultimately, CEAP will make it possible for us to aspire to “precision conservation” on pastureland, allowing NRCS to place technical and financial assistance where we have documented they provide the most benefit.