How We Manage

A Landscape Approach

The BLM manages 245 million acres of public lands and 700 million acres of mineral estate. Americans rely on these lands for our way of life. We hunt, fish and play here. These lands provide the energy to light and warm our homes, the wood we build with, and places where we camp, hike and make lasting memories.  

We have a strong history of ensuring opportunities for commercial, recreational and conservation activities on public lands under the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA). With rising threats to our public lands from the impacts of climate change, the Public Lands Rule ensures that conservation is a key component of balanced 21st century management, helping us protect our best, healthiest lands and waters, restore those that need it, and make informed management and development decisions based on the best available science, data and Indigenous knowledge. 

The rule also directs that all public lands be managed according to the fundamentals of land health, which previously applied only to lands in grazing allotments. 
 

To meet our mission, the BLM prepares land use plans known as resource management plans (RMPs), which serve as blueprints for keeping public landscapes healthy and productive for multiple use.  As plans are prepared, the BLM invites and values local voices and diverse views; respects the ties that native and traditional communities have to the land; and develops partnerships that bring successful resource stewardship.