Summary: GAO conducted a review to determine the status of, and progress being made under, the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) programs for managing and protecting public rangelands in 16 western states.
Since 1977, BLM has made some progress in meeting a congressional mandate to improve the unsatisfactory conditions of public rangelands in the western states. BLM has issued over 20,000 grazing permits or leases to individuals and corporations who use federal rangelands. Permittees with allotments range from large ranchers to some with a few animals. Because BLM has used varying methods over the years to assess range conditions, the assessments' results cannot be directly compared to show the overall effects of BLM management actions. Nevertheless, the assessments indicate that most of the rangelands are in unsatisfactory condition and produce less than their potential. The current BLM method of determining and classifying range conditions is not directly related to management objectives. In addition, field offices use different methods to gather rangeland trend and forage consumption data. GAO believes that more consistency in data gathering is needed among districts with the same rangeland types and with similar resource conditions and problems. A 1975 court order has delayed development and implementation of range management plans until site-specific environmental impact statements are completed. The decreasing availability of improvement funds caused by budget cuts and declining grazing fees, coupled with the increasing cost of range improvements will further delay BLM progress in improving range conditions and productivity.
