Experimental habitat restoration for conserved species using ecosystem engineers and vegetation management

Abstract

We manipulated vegetation and the ecosystem engineer California ground squirrel, Otospermophilus beecheyi, in a replicated, large-scale field experiment for 2 years, and monitored through a third year…. The overarching goal of this experiment was to provide conservation managers with a cost-effective tool for restoring degraded habitats to a hybrid ecosystem state with improved suitability for species of conservation concern, in this case, the western burrowing owl Athene cunicularia hypugaea.