Habitat Connectivity on Public Lands

The Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA), as amended, includes a congressional declaration of policy that “the public lands be managed in a manner that will …provide food and habitat for fish and wildlife…” (Section 102(a)(8)). FLPMA also identifies “fish and wildlife development and utilization” as one of the six “principal or major uses” of the public lands (Section 103(l)), and “wildlife and fish” as one of the resources expressly included in the definition of “multiple use” (Section 103(c)). Existing BLM policy directs the BLM “to manage habitat with emphasis on ecosystems to ensure self-sustaining populations and a natural abundance and diversity of wildlife, fish, and plant resources on the public lands” (BLM Manual Section (MS) 6500, rel. 6-114 (Wildlife and Fisheries Management) Section .06 Policy). This IM builds on that policy by directing BLM state offices to explicitly consider habitat connectivity, permeability, and resilience as a means to ensuring those self-sustaining populations.

Management of habitats for wildlife, fish, and plant species, in consultation and collaboration with states and Tribes, is a core part of the BLM’s long- standing agency practice. However, the management of the connections between and within priority habitats (for both migratory and non-migratory species) has, in some cases, received less attention and, with increasing habitat fragmentation and degradation, maintaining habitat integrity and connectivity has become a significant need.

BLM recognizes the state and Tribal authority and expertise over fish and wildlife management, seeking here to do its part to by ensuring that fish and wildlife have intact, connected habitat on our public lands.

The overarching policy intent of this IM is to ensure habitat connectivity, permeability and resilience is restored, maintained, improved, and/or conserved on public lands. To accomplish this outcome, BLM state offices will work with state and Tribal wildlife managers as well as other stakeholders to assess data regarding connectivity, permeability, and resilience and, based on that assessment, identify where to focus management that best supports priority species.

Priority Habitat refers to habitat conditions, areas, or types that have been identified in Resource Management Plans or special studies as having special significance for focused management or conservation actions. Habitat connectivity refers to how and to what degree distinct sources of food, water, and shelter for fish, wildlife, and plant populations are distributed and inter-connected, both spatially and temporally, across terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

BLM Manual Section 6500 (Wildlife and Fisheries Management) and MS 6840, rel. 6-125 (Special Status Species Management Manual) are under revision. Even as those revisions are ongoing, to help guide where best to focus management of connectivity, the BLM will inventory public lands to assess habitat connectivity in order to determine how best to manage for it, by directing restoration activities or by identifying areas of habitat connectivity, which are habitats on BLM administered public lands that support or facilitate priority species movements and other ecological processes, such as seed dispersal, migrations, and stopover sites. Just as land management agencies have long inventoried riparian areas in order to manage for their value, this IM directs the Bureau to inventory areas of habitat connectivity in order to manage for intact habitat.

The following text adds to the existing manuals to clarify the BLM’s responsibilities for management of habitat connectivity on public lands.

The following is added at the end of Section MS 6500.06 Policy:

Will manage existing fish and wildlife habitat with the goal of maintaining, improving, and/or conserving habitat connectivity and restoring degraded fish and wildlife habitat to provide for increased habitat connectivity.

The following is added at the end of Section MS 6840.06 Policy, subsection 2 (Administration of Bureau Sensitive Species), subsection C. (Implementation):

Managing existing special status species habitat with the goal of maintaining, improving, and/or conserving habitat connectivity and restoring degraded special status species habitat to provide for increased habitat connectivity.

The subsequent sections of this IM provide guidance to implement these manual-level policy objectives in land use planning and in implementation-level decisions that include habitat conservation and restoration.

Nothing in this IM should imply federal management of wildlife species, unless as directed under the Endangered Species Act or the Alaska National Interest Land Conservation Act.

Nothing in this IM shall be construed as direction to enact a new category of federal designations for wildlife migration corridors.

The Bureau recognizes that the work of habitat connectivity is, by its nature, collaborative and in some cases warrants co-stewardship. To succeed, we must share our resources, our science, and our various tools with the states, Tribes, and private landowners that we manage lands alongside.

Assessment of Public Lands for Habitat Connectivity

Consistent with BLM’s inventory obligations and authority for important resource values (as provided for in Section 201(a) of FLPMA)[1], and to help guide where best to focus management of connectivity, the BLM will assess public lands for habitat connectivity and identify areas of habitat connectivity, which are habitats on BLM administered public lands that support or facilitate priority species movements and other ecological processes, such as seed dispersal, migrations, and stopover sites.

The initial assessment will assess existing priority habitat and the connectivity between them. BLM state offices will complete these assessments within one calendar year from the issuance of this IM. The initial assessment will be based on existing data according to the methodology found in Attachment 2, and will rely on collaboration, coordination and consultation with Tribal and state wildlife managers, and other federal agencies

State Directors will determine which priority species and which priority habitats to prioritize for initial assessment in consultation with states and Tribes. State, local and Tribal expertise is critical to the assessment, as informed by traditional ecological knowledge and scientifically defensible local, regional, and national data, including climate modeling products and delineations of priority and seasonal habitats. Offices are also encouraged to work with a diverse scientific field of experts to expand research on habitat connectivity on public lands to best inform the assessment of habitat connectivity.

From this assessment, HQ230 and the National Operations Center will develop an initial geospatial layer to support identification of areas of habitat connectivity on BLM-managed lands and data standards to provide a consistent framework. The assessment and resulting geospatial layer will be updated periodically and kept current as new information is gained about resource conditions and as ecological transformation occurs due to climate change.

Because not all habitat is considered equal in importance for maintaining the overall integrity of the habitat, State Directors will determine where to best focus management of habitat connectivity. To support that process, BLM offices will use the assessment and geospatial layer to identify which lands/waters priority species need to move between habitat types. Offices will include consideration of both linear connectivity needs and habitat permeability and resilience needs and will seek to factor in reasonably foreseeable shifts in species ranges and movement/migration needs. In consultation and collaboration with state and Tribal wildlife managers, State Directors will select habitat conservation areas that best support priority species, and connection between priority habitats.

Land Use Planning

Once the BLM assesses habitat connectivity and identifies areas important to habitat connectivity, the BLM should consider each area as a habitat feature for the relevant species in land use planning efforts.

Specifically, areas of habitat connectivity should be addressed and appropriately analyzed in new land use plans and revisions, if appropriate, after considering the results of the plan evaluation, state director’s planning guidance, and the purpose and need of the plan or amendment.

BLM offices must incorporate evaluation of areas of habitat connectivity, and management and analysis of them (consistent with the land use planning effort’s purpose and need), in the land use planning cycle, as follows:

1. Plan Evaluations: During scheduled land use plan evaluations, and as appropriate to the scope of unscheduled land use plan evaluations, evaluate if existing land use plan decisions are (or are not) restoring, maintaining, improving, and /or conserving areas of habitat connectivity. See Case Study #1 in Attachment 1 for an example of how to incorporate areas of habitat connectivity into a plan evaluation.
2. State Director Planning Guidance: Provide the focus and framework for the planning effort as it relates to areas of habitat connectivity, including consideration of any resource conflicts identified by the plan evaluation or opportunities provided by the planning area.
   1. State Directors will, consistent with this policy and in consultation with state and Tribal fish and wildlife agencies, provide direction to state, district, and field offices to seek to restore, maintain, improve, and/or conserve areas of habitat connectivity in the planning area[2].
   2. Where resource conflicts exist, state directors will provide appropriate direction to state, district, and field offices for balanced land management, taking into consideration the significance of the habitat, the nature of the conflicts, state and/or Tribal priorities, and other uses of the public lands.
3. Preparation Plans: Identify issues and necessary data sources for analyzing impacts to areas of habitat connectivity. Discuss in the preparation plan whether data are available and if time and/or funding are needed to secure necessary data.
4. Formulation of Alternatives and Analysis of Issues: The following information will be included, as appropriate, in the planning criteria/analysis of the management situation document, National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) documents, and decision documents:
   1. Disclose all areas of habitat connectivity within the planning area, including the location, habitat components, and species for which each was assessed.
   2. Describe how management of areas of habitat connectivity would occur under each alternative. The decisions for habitat connectivity will generally vary across alternatives to allow for analysis of different approaches to meet the purpose and need. In identifying decisions in the planning effort, the BLM may:
      1. Identify specific objectives and management direction for habitat connectivity, including appropriate allocations to support the objectives. (See Case Study #2 in Attachment 1 for an example of how to identify objectives and management direction for habitat connectivity);
      2. Identify management areas (e.g., wildlife habitat management areas, riparian management areas) to establish objectives and management direction for a habitat connectivity, including appropriate allocations to support the management of habitat connectivity; or
      3. Apply an administrative designation, such as an area of critical environmental concern or a backcountry conservation area, to support management of the habitat connectivity area (where the habitat connectivity area and associated management meet the criteria to allow those designations to be applied).