USDA to Boost Wildlife Protection

The USDA will boost wildlife habitat protection as the Biden administration enters its final months.  In a department memo this week, Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack directed agencies to coordinate more closely on protecting lands across different types of ownership, including making wildlife habitat a high priority in various conservation programs.  Vilsack said many animals rely on vast swaths of connected habitat that can be broken by development or disrupted by disease outbreaks, among many other factors.

Agency officials add that protecting those landscapes can coincide with agricultural production such as ranching, involving an array of USDA initiatives like the Conservation Reserve Program.  The agency’s goal is to improve terrestrial wildlife habitat connectivity and corridors in a way that recognizes and leverages state and Tribal authorities, capitalizes on public land management, and respects property rights through voluntary conservation efforts.

“Most wildlife in America, from sage grouse to bobwhite and elk to waterfowl, depend on vast swaths of connected habitat, much of which is provided thanks to the stewardship of U.S. farmers, ranchers and forest owners,” said Robert Bonnie, USDA Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation. “At USDA, we’re partnering with farmers, ranchers and forest owners to help conserve a connected mosaic of wildlife habitat across America’s public and private lands through incentives that reward them for their stewardship activities.  USDA has had tremendous success working with those who voluntarily conserve wildlife habitat and integrate wildlife-friendly measures into their agricultural lands, which has benefitted so many species, from the Greater sage-grouse to the Louisiana black bear. By building on the Department’s existing efforts and leveraging our partners, we hope to make meaningful impacts for wildlife, agriculture and communities.”

“[This week's] announcement builds on work of the Department to support wildlife habitat connectivity to ensure the sustainability of large-scale conservation and restoration efforts,” said USDA Marketing and Regulatory Programs Under Secretary Jenny Moffitt.  “APHIS prioritizes solutions to wildlife management, conservation and restoration that take into account animal habitats, economic considerations, and human health and safety, while utilizing new technologies available.  Additionally, through programs such as the Bison Conservation Transfer Program and the Interagency Bison Management Plan, APHIS uses its animal health expertise to support Tribal conservation programs.”

Since 2021, USDA has worked with state, federal, Tribal and non-government partners to advance wildlife habitat connectivity across the Department. This work includes:

• Developing three frameworks for conservation action to coordinate NRCS and FSA resources in three key biomes: Great Plains Grasslands Biome Framework, Sagebrush Biome Framework and Northern Bobwhite, Grasslands, and Savannas Framework.
• Launching the Migratory Big Game Initiative, which is currently in Wyoming, Idaho, Montana and Colorado to focus NRCS and FSA resources on the conservation of working lands that underpin iconic migratory western species such as elk, mule deer and pronghorn.
• Prioritizing land enrolled through FSA’s Grassland Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) signup within two National Priority Zones: the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and the Dust Bowl area. The 2024 Grassland CRP enrollment has added more than 560,000 acres in the priority zones, bringing the total acres to 3.8 million.
• Improving FSA’s Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) to enable better access for Tribes. Currently, FSA has CREP agreements with four Tribes, which help provide wildlife conservation efforts.
• Providing resources through the Forest Service for collaborative efforts to conserve wildlife connectivity with federal, state and non-governmental partners. This includes investments through the Forest Legacy Program, which has conserved over three million acres of threatened forests to keep working lands working while protecting wildlife habitat and critical migration corridors, and contributions, totaling $1.4 million contributed to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s Western Big Game Seasonal Habitat and Migration Corridors Fund.
• Improving planning through Forest Service analytic tools, including a Climate Risk Viewer that identifies climate change-driven risks to key resources, such as corridors and connectivity, as well as migration corridor tool development among the National Forest System, Research Stations, and partners.
• Continuing to expand delivery of nonlethal tools, such as unmanned aerial systems, or drones, to detect and deter predators and minimize livestock loss remains a priority for APHIS Wildlife Services (WS).  WS also works in partnership with federal and state agencies and land managers to protect a wide variety of resources from invasive species. This includes resolving damage caused by 14 of the 23 bird, mammal and reptile species identified by the World Conservation Union as being among the top 100 invasive species worldwide.

Click Here to read the entire ten-page memo.

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