public grazing allotments]? How am I supposed to know when I’ve done a ‘good job’ [with my know to achieve, so how can we decide if doing We don’t collectively what we’re all trying we’re the right thing? Area rancher –Bay a golden age [in agency grazing administration]. It’s Area agency manager (in a different district from the rancher) –Bay Once considered antithetical to conservation values, livestock grazing is now widely accepted as a valuable vegetation management tool in the annual grasslands of California (Fisher and Barry 2011). Both scientific investigation and management experience have shown that grazing, properly carried out, can reduce fire fuels, restore native plants, promote biodiversity, and enhance wildlife habitat, especially habitat for special-status species (Sulak and Huntsinger 2007; Barry et al. 2007; Barry 2011). In some quarters, grazing is now considered such an important factor that it is treated as an integral part of the ecosystem. The shared realization that livestock are able to bring about desired changes in the structure and composition of vegetation in rangeland ecosystems has reinforced the belief that conservation and profitable enterprise are not necessarily at odds: ranchers and conservation agencies can work together towards shared goals. Working landscapes are built on this concept that ranchers and farmers can play a critical role in keeping land healthy, and that land should be maintained in agricultural production (Barry and Huntsinger 2002). In this paper, the prospects for building public and private partnerships for
How am I supposed to know when I’ve done a ‘good job’ [with my public grazing allotments]? We don’t know collectively what we’re all trying to achieve, so how can we decide if we’re doing the right thing? –Bay Area rancher It’s a golden age [in agency grazing administration]. –Bay Area agency manager (in a different district from the rancher) Once considered antithetical to conservation values, livestock grazing is now widely accepted as a valuable vegetation management tool in the annual grasslands of California (Fisher and Barry 2011). Both scientific investigation and management experience have shown that grazing, properly carried out, can reduce fire fuels, restore native plants, promote biodiversity, and enhance wildlife habitat, especially habitat for special-status species (Sulak and Huntsinger 2007; Barry et al. 2007; Barry 2011). In some quarters, grazing is now considered such an important factor that it is treated as an integral part of the ecosystem. The shared realization that livestock are able to bring about desired changes in the structure and composition of vegetation in rangeland ecosystems has reinforced the belief that conservation and profitable enterprise are not necessarily at odds: ranchers and conservation agencies can work together towards shared goals. Working landscapes are built on this concept that ranchers and farmers can play a critical role in keeping land healthy, and that land should be maintained in agricultural production (Barry and Huntsinger 2002). In this paper, the prospects for building public and private partnerships for
1389826457Grazing%20for%20Conservation.docx