Restoring Degraded Riparian Areas on Western Rangelands

Gao ID: T-RCED-88-20 March 1, 1988

GAO discussed the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) efforts to improve western rangeland riparian areas. GAO noted that most BLM-managed riparian areas, covering over 17,000 miles, have: (1) little vegetation; (2) badly eroded streambanks; and (3) little intermittent water flow. GAO also noted that BLM: (1) improved some areas by changing livestock management techniques; and (2) could apply such restoration techniques to other riparian areas. In addition, GAO noted that BLM: (1) substantially reduced the level of skilled staff necessary for riparian area improvement; and (2) field staff believe that BLM is not committed to riparian area improvement and will not support improvement projects if ranchers oppose them.



The Justia Government Accountability Office site republishes public reports retrieved from the U.S. GAO These reports should not be considered official, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Justia.