CART: A Science Communication Tool for Restoration

Nov. 18, 2020
Anna Weinberg, Alex Koeberle, and Ariel Léger

What is CART?

Complex challenges in natural resources require collaboration and coordination across landscapes and jurisdictions. Yet, among (and even within) different organizations, it is often difficult to work together to tackle issues at the scale required to make a real difference. The Conservation and Adaptation Resources Toolbox (CART; previously known as CCAST) is a multi-organizational partnership directed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Science Applications Program and U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation), and staffed by a growing network of coordinators and Case Study authors through the School of Natural Resources and the Environment (SNRE) at the University of Arizona, the USDA Southwest Climate Hub and Drought Learning Network, and Climate Adaptation Science Centers (CASC; Southwest and South Central). CART, and the Communities of Practice (CoPs) it supports, is building partnerships to help address challenges for conservation, management, and restoration of natural resources at landscape and watershed scales across North America.

Collectively, the CART team is a diverse network of directors, staff, and students. The CART team cooperates with hundreds of  individuals from dozens of organizations to increase and improve communication, develop tools to support landscape conservation and restoration, inform management decision-making, and develop actionable science.

CART Case Studies

CART, launched in 2017, provides an outlet for resource management professionals to highlight their work in a central location through its interactive Case Study Dashboard that users can also Explore by Tags. A Case Study is a write-up of work completed to manage, conserve, restore, or conduct actionable science on natural resources. CART Case Study narratives focus on methods and lessons learned that can inform future work or projects in other geographies, including project details often not published in peer-reviewed literature. Most importantly, Case Studies are catalysts for our Communities of Practice (see below).

As of May 2023, CART is home to 183 published Case Studies, with dozens more in progress. Case Studies include a range of topics from “Actionable Science” to “Collaboration and Community Engagement”. Within the interactive Dashboard feature, Case Studies are easily sortable by topic, stressors, management strategies, as well as geography. Here, users can navigate to Case Studies by filter (left side), a clickable chart (bottom right), or by tags found here.

Let us help communicate your restoration project or partnership through CART -- contact us if you are interested in contributing a Case Study (we do almost all the work!). The CART team handles all the information gathering and writing, and we require just a few hours of your time in providing background information, answering specific questions, and providing edits to preliminary drafts.

Student Interns and Emerging Professionals

Another important goal of CART is to support and provide mentorship to students and emerging professionals interested in a career in natural resources conservation, management, or restoration. Between 2019 and 2023, CART has supported over 45 student authors from 22 different organizations. Students come to CART with diverse backgrounds and college majors, and have developed 112 of CART’s 183 Case Studies as of May 2023. In turn, CART provides students and emerging professionals an opportunity to learn about on-the-ground conservation and restoration efforts, build their professional networks, and develop practical science communication skills.

Communities of Practice

A Community of Practice (CoP) is a group of individuals that regularly interacts to learn how to more effectively conduct their work and achieve common goals. CART supports CoPs for key natural resources challenges by providing the infrastructure to convene partnerships, improve communication, and develop useful tools to support decision-making. CART coordinates four CoPs comprised of natural resource managers, conservation and restoration practitioners and researchers, each with Case Studies and synthesis products. For example, a practitioner setting out to control a non-native aquatic species like American bullfrogs and restore native populations like Gila Topminnow may participate in a CoP to find examples of other projects that worked (and perhaps did not work) and learn lessons through Case Studies, explore treatment techniques through a synthesis review, and access a network of collaborators through the CoP listserv.

CoP: Non-Native Aquatic Species

Introduced non-native aquatic species can present obstacles to achieving management objectives, ranging from recovery of native aquatic species to maintenance of water delivery infrastructure. The Non-Native Aquatic Species CoP, officially launched in Spring 2020, is a central place to learn from non-native species control (and native species restoration) efforts and to prioritize research needs. The CoP develops Case Studies, hosts webinars on non-native aquatic species, and has created several decision support tools and a Non-Native Aquatic Species Toolkit. Here are a few non-native aquatic species focused Case Studies:

Contact Karlee Jewell for more information about CART’s Non-Native Aquatic Species work.

CoP: Drought Adaptation

Forecasts indicate that the Colorado River Basin will continue to experience drought conditions in the future, and that resource managers will need to continually adapt to ensure a sustainable water supply. As water demand for municipal and agricultural uses increases, ensuring the availability of water for other uses such as the environment, recreation, and hydropower becomes increasingly challenging. The Drought Adaptation CoP is a central place to discuss and learn from people preparing for, responding to, and recovering from drought. To support information-sharing on adaptation to drought, the CART team, in conjunction with the USDA Southwest Climate Hub and the Drought Learning Network, has developed a synthesis of methods and adaptive science tools to prepare for and respond to drought. Additionally, the CoP continues to develop relevant Case Studies focused on drought adaptation. Here are a few Case Studies currently online:

Contact Maude Dinan, Anna Weinberg, or Genevieve Johnson for more information about CART’s Drought Adaptation work.

CoP: Grasslands

Numerous groups have been restoring grasslands in the Southwest for decades. However, there remains a lack of understanding of the effectiveness and impacts of grassland restoration techniques that hinders our ability to scale grassland restoration. CART’s Grassland CoP supports the land managers, researchers, and restoration practitioners who need to simultaneously consider recovery of eroded soils, grazing and vegetation, fire, native and non-native species, monitoring and adaptive management. The Grassland CoP develops Case Studies on grassland restoration, hosts regular webinars and panel-discussions, facilitates workshops, and develops decision support tools. CART maintains an online Grasslands Toolkit that organizes all this information in one central location. Here are a few Case Studies currently online:

Contact Ariel Léger for more information about CART’s Grassland CoP.

CoP: Aquatic Restoration

Billions of dollars have been spent on efforts across the United States to restore fish and wildlife habitat that depends on our nation’s aquatic resources. However, aquatic ecosystems are especially vulnerable to climate change due to previous alterations and the dependence on sufficient water. These dynamics are further complicated by drought, specifically the recent historical drought in the southwestern U.S. Restoring aquatic ecosystems may mitigate the impacts of climate change, but resource managers must find ways to incorporate climate information into restoration planning and decision making. The Aquatic Restoration CoP develops Case Studies, hosts webinars, and supports river basin-wide planning efforts in the Southwest. Here are a few Case Studies currently online:

Contact Anna Weinberg for more information about CART’s Aquatic Restoration CoP.

CART Next Steps

CART continues to grow, both in terms of content and its team. The CART team is prioritizing its focus on each CoP and continues to work closely with interns to develop associated Case Studies to communicate lessons learned that support management practices and knowledge sharing among the CoPs. CART coordinators are focusing on CoP syntheses and tool development with input and guidance from CoP members. The CART team is excited to make these resources widely accessible and to further pursue this work with your input.

For more information on CART, to contribute a Case Study, or join a CoP please contact: Karlee Jewell or Genevieve Johnson.

Anna Weinberg and Ariel Léger are currently, and Alex Koeberle was previously, Research Specialists in the School of Natural Resources and the Environment at University of Arizona.