Wildlife's ability to follow their natural seasonal and regional migration patterns has gotten federal support in the form of a new policy released by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the agency announced recently.
The policy, or Instructional Memorandum (IM), protects "habitat connectivity," the connections between habitats for fish, wildlife and plants, and the ability of wildlife to migrate across and between habitats. The IM "calls for BLM state offices to assess areas of habitat connectivity and conduct planning, on-the-ground management actions, and conservation and restoration efforts to ensure those areas remain intact and healthy, and able to support diverse wildlife and plant populations," according to the BLM's Nov. 15 announcement.
"The policy will support the BLM’s ongoing partnerships with states, Tribes and diverse stakeholders aimed at meeting 21st century conservation challenges," the agency states in the announcement. "Private land is not affected by this guidance, and the BLM is not designating corridors with this action, nor does it intend to."
The IM promotes current efforts by the Department of the Interior (DOI), federal agencies, states and Tribes to protect both wildlife habitats and the corridors they require, the announcement states. Applying the policy "will include extensive consultations and collaborations with states, Tribes, and diverse stakeholders, to ensure this effort includes the use of best available science, traditional ecological knowledge, shared conservation goals, and adherence to the BLM’s multiple-use mandate," the agency states in the announcement.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D), said in the statement that the state's land and wildlife "are a treasure of the West." He said he appreciates the BLM's efforts to protect biodiversity on federal lands and reiterated his administration's efforts to "forge similar pathways that balance conservation, economic growth and responsible governance - this good step for local economies, hunters and anglers and our thriving tourism industry.”
The BLM, in collaboration with state, local and Tribal representatives, will include maintaining habitat connectivity across landscapes and seasonal ranges in its decision-making processes, the agency states.
"Through enhancing habitat connectivity on public lands, the BLM can adapt its management strategies as ecosystems and seasonal ranges are impacted by climate change," the report states. "This could involve removing or adjusting physical barriers to fish and wildlife movement, installing signs to prevent vehicle-wildlife collision, and undertaking restoration efforts to promote landscape health."
BLM Director Tracy Stone-Manning says the IM builds on work the agency and its partners are already doing to ensure wildlife "has room to roam well into the future," according to the announcement. The director said the BLM is excited to increase partner collaboration "on behalf of win-wins for wildlife, natural resources, and people.”
“Wildlife and outdoor opportunities define quality of life in the West," Stone-Manning said in the statement. "This science-based effort will help ensure our public lands support the needs of wildlife and biodiversity, and that the West maintains its wildlife heritage."
