Due to the decline in warm–dry sagebrush steppe, total sagebrush steppe vegetation (both warm–dry and cool–moist) fell by 60 % under CSIRO, 63 % under Hadley, and 57 % under MIROC by the end of the century.
Decline in Golden Eagle prey habitat = decline in Golden Eagle population and therefore an overall disturbance to the ecosystem.
Warm–dry sagebrush steppe showed wide fluctuations in all climate change scenarios, with large increases projected mid-century in two climate scenarios but declines of 38–72 % (42,000–78,000 ha) by the end of the century.
Warm-dry sagebrush steppe is a critically important habitat for Golden Eagles, serving as a nesting habitat, hunting ground (and primary habitat for prey). The health of this ecosystem is a key indicator of the Golden Eagle population's survival.
On average, 0.70 of the area within 3 km of nesting centroids burned between 1981 and 2013, and the mean proportion of unburned shrubland decreased from 0.73 in 1979 to 0.22 in 2014.
mean proportion of unburned shrubland decreased from 0.73 to 0.22 inches in 2014