Impacts of cattle, hunting, and natural gas development in a rangeland ecosystem

This paper investigates the impacts from natural gas development, hunting, and cattle grazing on a typical Western U.S. rangeland ecosystem using a general equilibrium model that describes ecosystem dynamics. The study area is located in the region surrounding the Atlantic Rim Natural Gas project in southern-central Wyoming and analyzes the population densities of various species, net hunting benefits, cattle profits, and existence value of sage grouse. The general equilibrium model analyzes the responses of six animal species, two plant species, and accounts for differences in prey scarcity inside and outside the disturbed areas around the wells. The differences in scarcity arise from sage grouse, mule deer, and elk experiencing stress in the disturbed areas and the changes in foraging behavior from the rest of the species. The simulations highlight the advantage of a general equilibrium ecosystem model because it is capable of capturing the complex changes that occur between plant and animal species when natural gas development reduces the habitat of vulnerable species. For the study area, the present-value loss in ecosystem services is $58.40 million (or $2,796 per ha), but could vary between -$0.12 and $81.67 million depending on the size of the disturbed area and coordination of government agencies.