CONCEPT 10-3 233
removal, or controlled burning. A cheaper way to dis-
courage unwanted vegetation in some areas is through
controlled, short-term trampling by large numbers of
livestock.
Replanting barren areas with native grass seeds and
applying fertilizer can increase growth of desirable veg-
etation and reduce soil erosion. But this is an expensive
way to restore severely degraded rangeland. The better
option is to prevent degradation by using the methods
described above and in the following case study.
■ CASE STUDY
Grazing and Urban Development in
the American West—Cows or Condos?
The landscape is changing in ranch country. Since 1980,
millions of people have moved to parts of the south-
western United States, and a growing number of ranch-
ers have sold their land to developers. Housing devel-
opments, condos, and small “ranchettes” are creeping
out from the edges of many southwestern cities and
towns. Most people moving to the southwestern states
value the landscape for its scenery and recreational op-
portunities, but uncontrolled urban development can
degrade these very qualities.
For decades some environmental scientists and en-
vironmentalists have sought to reduce overgrazing on
these lands and, in particular, to reduce or eliminate
livestock grazing permits on public lands. They have
not had the support of ranchers or of the government.
They have also pushed for decreased timber cutting
and increased recreational opportunities in the na-
tional forests and grasslands. These efforts have made
private tracts of land, especially near protected public
lands, more desirable and valuable to people who enjoy
outdoor activities and can afford to live in scenic areas.
Now, because of this population surge, ranchers,
ecologists, and environmentalists are joining together
to help preserve cattle ranches as the best hope for
sustaining the key remaining grasslands and the habi-
tats they provide for native species. They are working
together to identify areas that are best for sustainable
grazing, areas best for sustainable urban development,
and areas that should be neither grazed nor developed.
One strategy involves land trust groups, which pay
ranchers for conservation easements—deed restrictions
that bar future owners from developing the land. These
groups are also pressuring local governments to zone
the land in order to prevent large-scale development in
ecologically fragile rangeland areas.
Some ranchers are also reducing the harmful en-
vironmental impacts of their herds. They rotate their
cattle away from riparian areas (Figure 10-21), use far
less fertilizer and pesticides, and consult with range and
wildlife scientists about ways to make their ranch oper-
ations more economically and ecologically sustainable.Figure 10-21Natural capital restoration: in the mid-1980s, cattle had degraded the vegetation and soil on this
stream bank along the San Pedro River in the U.S. state of Arizona (left). Within 10 years, the area was restored
through natural regeneration after the banning of grazing and off-road vehicles (right) (Concept 10-3).
U.S. Bureau of Land Management U.S. Bureau of Land Management