The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) is proposing regulations and policy updates to safeguard the biological integrity, diversity and environmental health (BIDEH) of the National Wildlife Refuge System (NWRS). If implemented, these changes could potentially halt certain agricultural practices such as grazing, a move that has drawn strong opposition from livestock groups.
The agency said the proposed revisions are designed to strengthen and expand conservation efforts across the refuge system. They aim to address challenges such as climate change while also providing refuge managers with a standardized method to protect vulnerable species, restore habitats and enhance ecological resilience.
Under the proposed changes, the BIDEH policy principles prioritize wildlife conservation. The policy allows for natural processes to occur unless refuge conservation goals and objectives cannot be achieved.
Regulations proposed
The regulations offer a standard approach for using each management practice, but they also allow flexibility to utilize them as conservation tools when deemed necessary by the refuge manager. The management activities identified in the proposed BIDEH changes are:
• Native predator control: The agency would prohibit the control of predators because scientific evidence suggests they play a crucial role in maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem health. However, in specific cases where it’s necessary to meet legal requirements, fulfill refuge goals, and ensure the integrity of the ecosystem, they may allow predator control.
• Conservation translocations: This would allow the introduction or reintroduction of a species to a refuge system outside its current range to avoid extinction or extirpation.
• Use of genetically engineered organisms: The proposal would prohibit the use of the use of plants, animals or other organisms that have been genetically modified through genetic engineering.
• Invasive species management: Refuge managers must take an integrated approach to controlling invasive species, using the species’ life cycle in combination with mechanical, chemical, biological and cultural tools.
• Pesticide use: Following the Department of the Interior and USFWS guidelines, the agency strives to reduce or, when possible, eliminate the use of pesticides.
• Agricultural use: Agricultural uses would be permitted within the refuge system only when wildlife objectives or legal mandates cannot be achieved through natural ecosystem processes or management efforts.
Agriculture use could be implemented only when it contributes to fish and wildlife conservation and enhances biodiversity, environmental health and ecosystem integrity, the agency said. Using pesticides and genetically engineered organisms is prohibited except in rare circumstances.
Grazing and logging are only permitted unless they are permitted in management plans, consistent with refuge purposes and aligned with BIDEH principles. Livestock grazing would be permitted when “more natural methods, such as fire or grazing by native herbivores, cannot achieve refuge goals and objectives.”
USFWS said that if there is a conflict between the goals of ensuring and preserving biodiversity, they will err on the preservation side, but it might mean adjusting actions to prevent long-term harm to biodiversity within the refuge. To address challenges like climate change, USFWS said it may need to compromise certain aspects within the refuge to benefit biodiversity on a larger scale.
Opposition
The Public Lands Council (PLC) and several livestock associations expressed their concerns with the proposed changes. In a letter to USFWS Director Martha Williams on April 15, they suggested maintaining grazing on public lands and highlighted the potential negative impacts of the proposed changes on their operations.
The letter encouraged USFWS to recognize managed livestock grazing as a scientifically supported method for enhancing biodiversity and ecological well-being on NWRS landscapes. PLC said grazing offers multiple ecosystem benefits that have been proven to enhance landscape resilience against invasive species, wildfires and climate change impacts. Through effective management practices, grazing can be a natural process fostering biodiversity and ecological health on refuge lands, the group said.
The letter continued livestock grazing is tightly regulated and managed, and diverting grazing for other purposes would lead to a less controlled landscape, undermining refuge objectives. The letter asks the final rule to explicitly safeguard existing cooperative agriculture agreements, ensuring that introducing species like bison or bighorn sheep with disease management concerns won’t displace cattle and sheep.
The Montana Stockgrowers Association submitted comments emphasizing the critical role of livestock grazing in maintaining land health, conserving habitat, supporting rural communities, and boosting the economy. They also raised concerns about the potential negative impacts on cattle operations surrounding the refuges if predatory species are introduced to the landscape.
Comments on the proposed rule are being accepted until May 6. They can be made electronically at regulations.gov by searching for docket ID FWS–HQ–NWRS–2022–0106 in the search bar. — Charles Wallace, WLJ contributing editor
