Adaptive Management Science and Policy
Bureau of Land Management
National Headquarters
Washington, DC 20240
United States
6500 (HQ200) P
Implementation of the Department of the Interior’s Departmental Manual chapters
related to climate science and adaptation, and other direction as referenced in the background
section below.
This Permanent Instruction Memorandum (PIM) affirms the Bureau of Land Management (BLM)’s obligation to comply with the provisions of Chapter 1 of Part 001 of the Department of the Interior (DOI) Departmental Manual (011 DM 1),1 except to the extent that those provisions are superseded by appropriate authority, including statute, regulation, Executive Order, Secretary’s Order, or court decision.
It is the policy of the BLM to implement the DOI Departmental Manual chapters, including those related to climate change, climate science, and climate adaptation. BLM will integrate climate change risk, mitigation, adaptation, and resilience in its policies, planning, programs, and operations. This includes using high-quality information about Earth’s changing climate system to inform planning and decision-making. This PIM also affirms that the BLM has existing authorities enabling it to adapt to climate change and manage ecological transformation on public lands. The BLM will use its portfolio of regulations, policy, strategic plans, and guidance, to prepare for, adapt to, and mitigate the effects of climate change on the resources it manages. Departmental Manual chapters on climate science and adaptation further guide the BLM’s implementation of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, as amended, and the Conservation and Landscape Health Rule (commonly known as the Public Lands Rule).
The BLM will continue to use strategies and plans to guide specific management actions to adapt to and mitigate climate change impacts. Recent examples include but are not limited to the “National Seed Strategy for Rehabilitation and Restoration”; “National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy”; “Integrated Rangeland Fire Management Strategy”; “Conserving and Restoring Riparian, Fisheries, and Water Resources in a Changing Climate: A 5-Year Strategy for the BLM’s Aquatic Resources Program”; “Strategic Plan for Amphibian and Reptile Conservation”; and “Strategic Plan for Pollinator Conservation.”
Land health fundamentals and standards provide the BLM with objectives for ecological function, water quality, and habitat condition that BLM will use to prepare for, adapt to, and mitigate the effects of climate change on public lands. Use of land health standards as objectives to guide management across all BLM-managed lands and programs is required by the Public Lands Rule (43 CFR 6103.1), as well as in individual programs, such as rangeland management (43 CFR 4180.2 (2005)).
After adopting this PIM, and as necessary to implement these commitments, the BLM will issue new policy and specific implementation direction with identified due dates.
This PIM is effective upon issuance.
The reaffirmation of existing authorities and actions should have no budgetary impact. Future direction that requires specific actions may have budget impacts.
In the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, as amended, Congress directed that the public lands and their resources be managed on the basis of multiple use and sustained yield unless otherwise specified by law (43 USC 1732(a)). Acknowledging the impacts of climate change and working toward resilient, healthy landscapes is essential to balancing multiple uses and achieving sustained yield in managing the public lands.
On January 20, 2021, President Biden issued Executive Order (E.O.) 13990, Protecting Public Health and the Environment and Restoring Science to Tackle the Climate Crisis.2 President Biden also issued E.O. 14008, Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad (Jan. 27, 2021),3 which directs Federal agencies to promote equity and environmental justice in climate solutions and to develop a Climate Action Plan. On April 16, 2021, Secretary of the Interior Haaland issued Secretary’s Order 3399, which prioritizes action to address climate change throughout the Department and established the Climate Task Force. DOI’s Climate Action Plan was finalized on October 7, 2021, and contained a DOI Policy Statement, “DOI Policy statement for Climate Adaptation and Resilience.” An updated DOI Climate Adaptation Plan was later published on June 20, 2024. In addition, new Departmental policies, relevant to this PIM, were developed or updated in response to Executive and Secretarial Orders: climate change policy (523 DM 1),4 applying climate change science (526 DM 1),5 adaptive management (522 DM 1),6 landscape-level approaches to resource management (604 DM 1),7 conservation and restoration of the sagebrush biome (604 DM 2),8 landscape-level mitigation (604 DM 3),9 nature-based solutions (600 DM 7),10 and consideration and inclusion of Indigenous Knowledge in actions and scientific research (301 DM 7).11
To assist in climate adaptation and mitigation efforts, the BLM promulgated the Conservation and Landscape Health Rule (43 CFR 6100 Ecosystem Resilience), otherwise known as the Public Lands Rule; issued PIM 2022-011, Co-Stewardship with Indian Tribes Pursuant to Secretarial Order 3403; and IM 2023-005, Habitat Connectivity on Public Lands.
No Manual Sections, Handbooks, or Supplements are impacted by the issuance of this directive. Policy reviews will be conducted in the future.
If you have any questions, please contact Julian Reyes, Adaptive Management Lead, HQ-210, at jreyes@blm.gov, (202) 697-1572.
This PIM was coordinated with the BLM Principal Deputy Director, the Assistant Director for Resources and Planning, the Executive Leadership Team, the Resources and Minerals Committee, HQ-200, HQ-300, Fire and Aviation, HQ-400, and the Office of the Solicitor for the Department of the Interior.