Issue Paper

Sustainable Ranching Issue Paper

Rangelands serve an important ecological role in the western landscape by providing vital habitat to an array of species, as well as essential forage to livestock operations. In many cases these lands, whether under public or private ownership, have been impacted by historical grazing practices that preceded contemporary understanding of rangeland science and ecology. Today, there are growing numbers of exemplary ranchers practicing innovative range stewardship to restore ecological integrity to degraded rangelands and maintain existing healthy landscapes, all while using livestock revenues to sustain operations and support the local economy. Proactive support for conserving landscapes, and providing the tools, incentives and markets necessary to promote conservation-oriented ranching will restore and maintain biodiversity and open space while providing food, fiber and jobs across the western United States.

Congress, the Administration, and the Agencies that manage western landscapes must consider the need for economic, social and ecological sustainability for western ranchlands.  Based on current dynamics within the ranching sector and the policy arena, new policy initiatives and attempts to reform current regulatory and federal programs should adhere to the following principles to ensure maximum effectiveness and strategic use of federal investments:

Incentivize and Support Collaboration and Partnerships: Partner with collaborative groups to solve resource conflicts and build trust among stakeholders. Provide financial and technical support for community-based organizations to build and create local capacity to innovate and implement solutions

Leverage Market Resources: Support projects that add value to traditional ranch products, and promote access to payment for ecosystem services to diversify the economic uses of working landscapes and ensure the viability of family ranches.

Increase Access to Financial Capital: Provide financial resources to accelerate conservation-based ranching programs, models and economies; incentivize innovative projects protecting and stewarding soil, water, and other ecological and social values.

Practice and Incentivize Adaptive Management: Base regulation and management on the best available science and local knowledge and support the tools that allow for adaptive management. Recognize comprehensive monitoring as a central element in advancing sustainable stewardship.

Promote Landscape Level Conservation: Recognize and address the social, economic, and ecological connections between private and public lands that share ecological processes and span the forests, rangeland, and river systems that define the West.

To learn more read the 2010 Sustainable Ranching Issue Paper

Working Group

The Ranching and Rangeland Restoration working group seeks to promote and create collaborative approaches to ranchland stewardship that ensure successful public lands grazing and conservation practices.  Its efforts support integrated management across ownerships, establishing public lands grazing and monitoring systems, and reforming tax policies and easements that conserve open space and encourage public investment in ranching.  The group also attempts to enhance the viability of ranching by increasing access to payments for ecosystem services and local markets related to ranching and range stewardship enterprises

Chairs: James Honey, Sustainable Northwest; Johnny Sundstrom, The Siuslaw Institute

To learn more read the 2010 draft ranching plank.