Hi Vance, that is an excellent question!
In my opinion, the effort in our manuscript is a great first step toward developing more nuanced and effective tools for land managers. That said, in the manuscript we identify areas that, based on our data, had the greatest magnitude of OHV route density increase, both within tortoise conservation areas (TCAs) and recovery units (RUs). This might enable the BLM and other agencies to prioritize enforcement, restoration, and mitigation efforts in those specific regions where ecological degradation is most acute.
This is of course a first attempt, so it isnt infallible, but this gives land managers not only a historical baseline but also a "first look" to assess whether recent OHV management efforts have been effective over time, at scale. Going forward, as we acquire more data, and the underlying models continue to improve rapidly, these tools can be refined.
Ultimately, the goal is to provide decision-makers with map-based tools that are transparent, interpretable, and actionable—tools that tie directly into the tortoise recovery plan’s spatial planning framework and allow for targeted interventions that maximize ecological benefit.
Outside of this work, there are a ton of possibilities to apply these types of tools to other anthropomorphic features on the landscape (fencing, powerlines, etc.). Alternatively, a lot of my dissertation work looked at how these types of tools can be applied (especially in turtles/tortoises) at the organismal level as well.
