Sustainable Rangelands Roundtable

1. Sustainable Rangelands Roundtable

2. Rangelands • 42% of continental U.S. • 587 million acres non-federal • Forest Service – 75 million acres • BLM – 155 million acres • Concern about the condition of natural resources in the 20th century. • Adoption of the concept of sustainability as appropriate analysis paradigm.

3. Sustainable Rangelands Roundtable A stakeholders process for identifying a set of criteria and indicators (C&I) for assessing sustainability of rangelands. The C&I describe individual elements to assess and determine trends in resource conditions, management, economic benefits, and social values derived from rangelands.

4. Benefits of the Work of SRR • Provide a common framework for monitoring and assessing progress towards sustainable rangeland management. • Expand the understanding of rangeland sustainability. • Enhance quality of debate about rangeland management issues.

5. Benefits of the Work of SRR • Improved efficiencies: • Directing monitoring efforts • Development of common data collection techniques • Focusing research on developing methods to measure indicators

6. Benefits of the Work of SRR • Improve accountability to rangeland stakeholders and Congress: • Multi-level, coordinated data reporting • Assess compliance with applicable laws • Facilitate interagency coordination • Facilitating planning and funding priorities • Improve rangeland management to meet social, economic and ecological goals

7. 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.”

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

9. International Background • Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, 1992 • Plan for achieving sustainable development in the 21st century. • 1993 – International seminar on sustainable development of boreal and temperate forest in Montreal. (Montreal Process) • 1995 Santiago Declaration – 7 Criteria and 67 Indicators – temperate and boreal forests. • 2002 Earth Summit in South Africa.

10. U. S. Background • Roundtable on Sustainable Forests (1998) • Sustainable Minerals Roundtable (1999) • 1999 – First meeting on Sustainable Rangelands • 2001 – First meeting of the Sustainable Rangelands Roundtable

11. Sustainable Rangelands Roundtable • Identify criteria and indicators for Sustainable Rangelands. • Indicators are suitable for national reporting. • Gain from other efforts: • Roundtable on Sustainable Forests • Sustainable Minerals Roundtable • Heinz, EPA, TNC, NRI, SDIC, others

12. Sustainable Rangelands Roundtable • The group determines the outcomes. • Open, Positive, Future Focused • Dynamic • Values and respects all opinions and contributions of members.

13. 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.

14. 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.

15. 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.

16. SRR Meetings • Twelve Meetings • Four meetings in 2001 • Five in 2002 • Three in 2003.

17. SRR Meeting Sites, 2001 to 2003 j D D j j j j j j D j D j j j j D j j j 2001 2002 2003 Workshops and Forums

18. SRR Success • Time and effort of all individuals and organizations participating. • Participating groups • Federal, state and local agencies • Representatives from 16 universities • Non-governmental groups & organizations • Over 100 members of SRR

19. Products of SRR • Symposium and Proceedings at the Feb. 2002 SRM Annual Meeting in Kansas City, MO • Workshop at ESA Meeting in Tucson, AZ in August 2002 • Symposium/Workshop on Indicators at Feb. 2003 SRM Annual Meeting in Casper, Wyoming • Report on Sustainable Rangelands in Spring, 2003

20. SRR Five Criteria • Maintenance of productive capacity on rangeland ecosystems. • Maintenance of ecological health and diversity of rangelands. • Conservation of soil and water resources on rangelands.

21. SRR Criteria • Maintenance and enhancement of multiple economic and social benefits to current and future generations. • Legal, institutional and economic framework for rangeland conservation and sustainable management.

22. SRR Timeline • San Diego Meeting – Review and freeze indicators. • Fort Myers – Jan. 14-16 – First draft of report chapters ready for editing. • SRM Workshop – Feb. 3-5 • Feb. 15 – Chapters ready for SRR internal review.

23. SRR Timeline • March 1 – SRR internal review completed. Consider and integrate feedback. • Albuquerque – March 18-19 – Revised chapters completed. Submit to external reviewers. • April 11 – Receive external reviews and incorporate changes.

24. SRR Timeline • Friday, May 2, 2003 – Deadline for final chapters. • May 5-9 – Create Executive Summary (Briefing Document). To printer on May 9. • May – SRR Briefing in Washington, D.C. • May & June - Submit chapters to journal and complete technical edits.

25. Purpose of Ninth SRR Meeting • The Sustainable Rangelands Roundtable reviews all indicators • Finalize external reviewers for report • Finalize report outline and agree on writing assignments • Continue work on data sets for indicators