The Purpose & Process of the Sustainable Rangelands Roundtable

1. The Purpose & Process of the Sustainable Rangelands Roundtable E. Tom Bartlett, Helen I. Rowe, Kristie Maczko

2. Sustainable Rangelands Roundtable A group of stakeholders involved in meetings to identify a set of criteria and indicators (C&I) for measurement of rangeland sustainability. The C&I describe individual elements to assess to determine trends in resource conditions, management, economic benefits, and social values derived from rangeland.

3. Sustainable Development Brundtland Commission (WCED) – 1987 “Development that meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

4. Sustainable Development • Ensuring human well-being while respecting ecosystem well-being and the earth’s environmental limits and capacities. • Encompasses environmental and social issues, as well as economic activity.

5. International Background • Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, 1992 • Climate change • Biological diversity • Forest principles • Agenda 21 – plan for achieving sustainable development in the 21st century.

6. International Background • 1993 – International seminar on sustainable development of boreal and temperate forest in Montreal. • Working group on criteria and indicators for the conservation and sustainable management of temperate and boreal forest – the Montreal Process. • 1995 Santiago Declaration – 7 Criteria and 67 Indicators – temperate and boreal forests.

7. U. S. Background • Roundtable on Sustainable Forests • Sustainable Minerals Roundtable • 1999 – First meeting on Sustainable Rangelands Roundtable. • 2001 – First meeting of the Sustainable Rangelands Roundtable.

8. Sustainable Rangelands Roundtable • Open • Positive • Future focused • Dynamic • Agenda • Members • Values and respects all opinions and contributions of members

9. Sustainable Rangelands Roundtable • The group determines the outcomes. • Identify indicators for Sustainable Rangelands • Indicators are suitable nationwide. • Gain from other efforts: • Roundtable on Sustainable Forests • Sustainable Minerals Roundtable • Heinz, EPA, TNC

10. SRR Vision for Rangelands We envision a future in which rangelands in the U.S. provide a desired mix of economic, ecological and social benefits to current and future generations.

11. Vision for the SRR Process We envision a future where we have widely accepted criteria and indicators for monitoring and assessing the economic, social and ecological sustainability of rangelands.

12. SRR Mission The Roundtable will identify indicators of sustainability based on social, economic, and ecological factors, to provide a framework for national assessments of rangelands and rangeland use.

13. SRR Guiding Principles • Collectively, indicators should guide monitoring efforts to measure rangeland sustainability in the U.S. at the national scale. Indicators should guide monitoring efforts at multiple scales.

14. SRR Guiding Principles • Ensure that the indicators employ the appropriate temporal and spatial scales for assessing the criteria. • Collectively, C&I will address social, ecological, and economic aspects of sustainability.

15. SRR Guiding Principles • Use a C&I framework as a common language and operational framework for defining and assessing sustainability. Begin by considering C&I of RSF.

16. SRR Guiding Principles • Review and consider other indicator initiatives. • Numerous political questions related to rangelands. We will focus on vision-mission agreed to by SRR.

17. SRR Guiding Principles • Process will feature outreach to stakeholders, open dialogue, and respect for differing opinions. • The SRR will be supportive of and compatible with improved on-the-ground management of rangelands.

18. Benefits of the Work of SRR • Provide a common framework for monitoring and assessing progress towards sustainable rangeland management. • Monitor changes in social, ecological, and economic aspect of rangeland sustainability. • Wade & Reuwsaat will cover the details of benefits.

19. Roundtable Meetings • Facilitated and Interactive • Agenda: Will be sent before each meeting of the Roundtable • Meetings will be two days • Morning of the first day • Update new members • Introduction

20. Roundtable Meetings • Remainder of the first day. • Agenda will have the starting point. • One or more presentations related to the topic for the meeting. • Agenda is flexible to fit needs, progress, and dynamics of the group. • Facilitator adjusts agenda.

21. Roundtable Meetings • At the end of day two: • We will decide what we have attained. • We will determine the topics for the Delphi process between the meetings. • We will agree on a rough agenda for the next meeting.

22. Collaborative Delphi • Building between meetings. • Continue to develop ideas. • Obtain discussion and agreement on products of the previous meeting. • Discuss needs for the next meeting. • To be successful, SRR members must participate and exchange ideas.

23. Collaborative Delphi • Open-ended or opinion questions sent out to participants. • Responses are analyzed and summarized. • Individual responses are anonymous. • Process is iterative.

24. SRR Working Groups • Outreach Working Group • Lori Hidinger, Ecological Society of Amer. • Coordination Working Group • Tom Roberts, BLM • Scale Working Group • Paul Geissler, USGS • Definition Working Group • John Tanaka, Oregon State Univ.

25. SRR Team • Co-Chairs: • Tom Bartlett, Colorado State University • John Mitchell, Rocky Mountain Research Station, FS • Facilitator: Lou Romero, de LaPorte & Assoc • Kristie Maczko, Rocky Mountain Station • Helen Rowe, Colorado State University • Alison Hill, Larry Bryant, Mike Manfredo

26. SRR Team • Steering Committee • Co-Chairs: Tom Bartlett and John Mitchell • Tom Reuwsaat, WO, BLM • Evert Byington, WO, ARS • Alison Hill, WO, FS • Larry Bryant, WO, FS • Paul Geissler, USGS

27. SRR Time Line • Would like to be done by 2003. • Nine Meetings: • Four meetings in 2001; five in 2002. • 2001 • April – Denver • June – Salt Lake City • July – Reno • Nov. – San Antonio • Dynamic

28. Schedule of Meetings • 2002 • Tucson, AZ Jan. 9-10, 2002 • Denver,CO March 26-27, 2002 • Washington, DC May 29-30, 2002 • Billings, MT July 30-31, 2002 • San Diego, CA Oct., 2002 • 2003 • Florida, Albuquerque, D.C.

29. SRR Support • Time and effort of all individuals and organizations participating. • USDA Forest Service • Colorado State University • Bureau of Land Management • US Geological Survey • Agricultural Research Service • Additional partners

30. Products of SRR • Symposium and Proceedings at the 2002 SRM Annual Meeting in Kansas City, MO • Symposium at ESA Meeting in Tucson, AZ on August 4,2002 • Report on Sustainable Rangelands in Spring, 2003. • First Approximation Report – June 2003. • Complement report on sustainable forest management.

31. SRR Criteria • Maintenance of ecological health and diversity of rangelands. • Rod Heitschmidt & Linda Joyce • Conservation of soil and water resources on rangelands. • Sherm Karl

32. SRR Criteria • Maintenance of productive capacity on rangeland ecosystems. • Dennis Child • Maintenance and enhancement of multiple economic and social benefits to current and future generations. • John Tanaka & Allen Torell • Mark Brunson

33. SRR Criteria • Legal, institutional, and economic framework for rangeland conservation and sustainable management. • Tom Lustig

34. Please Complete & Return One-Page Questionnaire.