A proposal to introduce threatened and endangered species onto federal lands in the West could have severe consequences for livestock grazing, with plan proposers calling for reduced livestock grazing in large portions of the West.
A group of academics and conservationists has released a study called “Rewilding the American West,” which details a framework to “rewild” public lands by introducing animals such as wolves, beavers and other threatened and endangered plant and animal species to protected areas on western public lands.
“Beyond concerns for human survival and flourishing, a principled commitment to the natural world and a sense of moral urgency underpins the motivation for our proposal,” the study says. The research was influenced by President Joe Biden’s “30×30 plan,” and the researchers say they take a major step in advancing the president’s vision by envisioning “a bold and science-based rewilding of publicly owned federal lands.”
The researchers say the benefits of the proposal would contribute to stream restoration and help mitigate drought, wildfires and climate change. The study identifies 11 large-scale reserves to disperse species in the western U.S., coining the area as the “Western Rewilding Network.”
“In general, rewilding aims to reestablish vital ecological processes that can involve removing troublesome nonnative species and restoring key native species,” the study read. “Our rewilding call is grounded in ecological science and is necessary regardless of changing political winds.”
Wolves and beavers are noted as the centerpiece of restoration. The network would also include 92 threatened and endangered species: five amphibians, five birds, two crustaceans, 22 fish, 39 flowering plants, five insects, 11 mammals, one reptile and two snail species. The researchers claim that in seven out of the 11 potential reserves, more than half of the listed species are threatened by livestock grazing.
“Federal lands with managed livestock allotments often have various ecological impacts because of the multiple direct and indirect effects of these introduced large herbivores,” the study alleges. “For example, in many areas, livestock grazing causes stream and wetland degradation, affects fire regimes, and inhibits the regeneration of woody species, especially willow.”
The researchers also point to livestock grazing as a source of greenhouse gas emissions and say the impacts of methane can shift landscapes from carbon sinks to carbon sources.
The rewilding plan for the proposed network includes three major steps:
• Retiring livestock grazing allotments on federal land within the proposed reserve network.
• Protecting, reestablishing or recovering gray wolves, especially within the network.
• Reintroducing beavers in suitable habitats within the network.
The study claims these three steps would greatly improve ecosystem structure and function. In addition to limiting livestock grazing, the study calls for limiting resource extraction and off-road vehicles.
The plan would reduce livestock grazing allotments on federal lands by 29%, which equates to more than 17,000 square miles. The proposal notes that an “economically and socially just federal compensation program” could be established for those who relinquish their grazing permits for permanent retirement.
“Although our proposal may at first blush appear controversial or even quixotic, we believe that ultra ambitious action is required,” the researchers wrote. “We are in an unprecedented period of converging crises in the American West, including extended drought and water scarcity, extreme heat waves, massive fires triggered at least partly by climate change, and biodiversity loss with many threatened and endangered species.”
The researchers also note that lands in the proposed network are already owned by the public, and they additionally claim meat produced from the forage on all federal lands accounts for only 2% of the national meat production, citing a 2008 study.
“Our plan represents a historic opportunity to rewild significant portions of the American West that could serve as an inspiring model for other regions and would ensure our natural heritage remains intact for future generations,” the study concludes.
Conservationist groups expressed their support for the network. “With logging, mining, oil and gas drilling, and livestock grazing remaining a significant threat to federal public lands, we must stop this endless resource exploitation and start conserving, reconnecting and restoring at a landscape scale,” said Sarah McMillan, conservation director at WildEarth Guardians.
“The ecological and economic benefits of the rewilding plan presented in this paper would be significant and would accumulate over time, as riparian areas, clean water and biodiversity are restored and climate change is mitigated through increased carbon storage.” — Anna Miller,WLJ managing editor
