Conservation Groups Sue Bureau of Land Management to Stop Destruction of Critical Sage Grouse Habitat – The Wildlife News

Report on Proposed Land Management Project and its Conflict with Sustainable Development Goals

Executive Summary

A proposed project by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in the Grasshopper Watershed of southwest Montana poses a significant threat to the habitat of the Greater Sage Grouse, a species experiencing a precipitous population decline. The project, which facilitates expanded livestock grazing, directly conflicts with key United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 15 (Life on Land), SDG 13 (Climate Action), and SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions). Legal action has been initiated by conservation groups citing procedural and analytical failures by the BLM, highlighting a lapse in institutional accountability and environmental stewardship.

Project Impact on SDG 15: Life on Land

The project’s core activities undermine the targets of SDG 15, which aims to protect, restore, and promote the sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems and halt biodiversity loss. The Greater Sage Grouse population has declined by 31% in Montana over the last three years, and the proposed development is situated in one of its prime remaining habitats.

Threats to Terrestrial Ecosystems and Biodiversity

• Habitat Degradation: The project involves developing water infrastructure for cattle, which promotes widespread grazing. This practice is a primary driver of the destruction and fragmentation of sagebrush ecosystems.
• Biodiversity Loss: Livestock grazing directly harms the sage grouse population through several mechanisms:
  1. Consumption of native plants essential for the grouse’s survival.
  2. Trampling and destruction of fragile soils, leading to ecosystem degradation.
  3. Introduction and spread of invasive weeds like cheatgrass, which displace native flora and increase fire risk.
  4. Disruption of the species’ breeding, nesting, and migration patterns.
  5. Increased mortality from flying into fences and heightened predation due to predator perches provided by grazing infrastructure.

Institutional Failures and Implications for SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

SDG 16 calls for effective, accountable, and transparent institutions. The legal challenge against the BLM alleges that the agency has failed to meet its statutory obligations, thereby violating this principle. The agency’s actions demonstrate a lack of adherence to established environmental laws and internal policies.

Alleged Violations of Federal Law and Policy

• National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA): The BLM is accused of failing to take a “hard look” at the project’s potential environmental impacts on wildlife and the climate.
• Administrative Procedures Act: The agency allegedly failed to disclose sufficient information to the public, undermining transparency.
• Federal Land Policy Management Act: By ignoring its own management plan, the BLM is in violation of this act.
• Internal Management Plan (2015): The BLM did not evaluate whether “soft” or “hard” triggers for further environmental analysis were met.
  • Soft Triggers: Indicators that management actions may not be achieving conservation goals, requiring enhanced monitoring.
  • Hard Triggers: Indicators that conservation objectives are failing, necessitating immediate corrective action to halt severe negative impacts on the species.

The failure to monitor population trends and habitat health, and to act on trigger data, represents a significant institutional breakdown in fulfilling its mandate to protect public lands and wildlife.

Neglect of Climate Considerations and SDG 13: Climate Action

The BLM’s analysis is further criticized for its failure to consider the impacts of climate change, a direct contradiction of the principles outlined in SDG 13 (Climate Action). This goal urges the integration of climate change measures into national policies, strategies, and planning. The agency did not analyze how climate change has affected baseline conditions in the Grasshopper Watershed, including the sage grouse and its habitat. This oversight constitutes a violation of NEPA and demonstrates a failure to incorporate critical environmental stressors into land management decisions.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

SDG 15: Life on Land

• The article’s primary focus is on the threat to the Greater sage grouse, a terrestrial species, and the degradation of its sagebrush ecosystem. It details the “continuous and precipitous decline” of the species and the destruction and fragmentation of its habitat, which are core concerns of SDG 15.

SDG 13: Climate Action

• The article explicitly mentions that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) “failed to take a ‘hard look’ at the climate impacts of the project” and did not analyze how climate change has affected the local environment. This directly connects to the need for integrating climate change considerations into planning and policy, a key aspect of SDG 13.

SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

• The article describes a legal challenge against a government agency (BLM) for failing to comply with federal laws such as the National Environmental Policy Act and the Administrative Procedures Act. This highlights issues of institutional accountability, transparency, access to justice, and the rule of law, which are central to SDG 16.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

SDG 15: Life on Land

1. Target 15.5: “Take urgent and significant action to reduce the degradation of natural habitats, halt the loss of biodiversity and, by 2020, protect and prevent the extinction of threatened species.”
   • The article highlights the urgent need to protect the Greater sage grouse, a species whose population has “plummeted by 31%… in just the last three years,” and to prevent the destruction of its “pristine and intact sagebrush ecosystems.”
2. Target 15.1: “By 2020, ensure the conservation, restoration and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services…”
   • The proposed project, which involves funneling springs into water tanks for cattle, is presented as an unsustainable use of the terrestrial ecosystem that degrades the “excellent remaining sage grouse habitat” in the Grasshopper Watershed.

SDG 13: Climate Action

1. Target 13.2: “Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies and planning.”
   • The article criticizes the BLM for its failure to integrate climate change analysis into its project planning, stating the agency “did not analyze how climate change has affected baseline conditions in the Grasshopper Watershed,” which is a violation of the National Environmental Policy Act.

SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

1. Target 16.3: “Promote the rule of law at the national and international levels and ensure equal access to justice for all.”
   • The action of taking the federal government to court by the Alliance for the Wild Rockies is a direct application of this target, seeking to enforce federal laws and ensure the agency is held accountable.
2. Target 16.6: “Develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels.”
   • The article points to a lack of accountability and transparency from the BLM, which “failed to disclose sufficient information to the public” and did not disclose monitoring data, thus violating the Administrative Procedures Act.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

SDG 15: Life on Land

1. Population trends of key species: The article provides specific data points for this indicator, noting the sage grouse population in Montana fell “from 70,346 to 48,783” in three years. This is a direct measure of biodiversity loss.
2. Acres of available habitat: The article explicitly mentions that “acres of available habitat” is a metric used in the BLM’s management plan to trigger further environmental analysis, indicating its use as a key measure of ecosystem health.
3. Number of active leks: The article identifies “the number of active leks where they mate” as another specific monitoring requirement in the BLM’s plan, serving as a direct indicator of the species’ breeding health and population viability.

SDG 13: Climate Action

1. Inclusion of climate impact analysis in environmental assessments: The article implies this indicator by its absence. The criticism that the “BLM did not analyze how climate change has affected baseline conditions” suggests that the presence and quality of such analysis in project planning documents would be a measure of progress.

SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

1. Degree of compliance with environmental laws: The entire lawsuit is based on the BLM’s alleged violations of multiple federal laws (NEPA, APA, FLPMA). The outcome of such legal challenges can serve as an indicator of institutional compliance with the rule of law.
2. Public availability of environmental monitoring data: The article notes that the “BLM did not disclose any monitoring data in the Grasshopper Watershed.” Therefore, the public release and accessibility of such data would be an indicator of institutional transparency.

4. Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: thewildlifenews.com