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Strategic Objective

Improve land and water health by managing wetlands, uplands, and riparian areas

Strategic Objective

Improve land and water health by managing the wetlands, uplands, and riparian areas that comprise our national parks, wildlife refuges, and BLM lands.

Lead Office: BLM, FWS, NPS, BOR

Themes:

Natural Resources and Environment

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Overview
Progress Update

Overview

Progress Update

The Department of the Interior, in consultation with the Office of Management and Budget, has highlighted this objective as a focus area for improvement. Most of the land and water health and wildlife management performance measures sustained level or slightly decreasing performance trends over the past several years. Resources for land and water health and wildlife management have been trending down since 2010, restricting the levels of effort from year to year in carrying out the work plans of the programs supporting these strategies. The continuing resolution and delayed budget in 2012 that caused many programs to adopt cautious plans and sequestration restrictions in 2013 further exacerbated the situation. Programs that were able to sustain performance generally did so because of redirection of resources to higher priority activities, multi-year efforts coming to fruition in 2012-2015, or sustained results from prior-year efforts remaining intact. Future efforts will continue to be challenging as increasingly more variable weather conditions pose difficulties in enabling crews to accomplish objectives. Climate change adaptation strategies are being developed and implemented to mitigate potential impacts and improve resilience. There is some potential for declining performance due to the limited ability to address pervasive and persistent problems, such as invasive species. While the overall goal of protecting America’s landscapes is facing ongoing challenges, performance in maintaining and preserving migratory birds, fish populations, and endangered species is positive.

In 2015, the Department met or exceeded the performance targets on 12 of the 15 measures in these two strategies to improve land and water health and recover and sustain species. Favorable weather, the ability to redirect funds to priority projects, additional partner support, and the deployment of invasives Strike Teams and volunteers led to better-than-expected performance in many areas.

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Strategic Goals

Strategic Goal:

Protect America's Landscapes

Statement:

We will ensure that America’s natural endowment – America’s Great Outdoors – is protected for the benefit and enjoyment of current and future generations. We will maintain the condition of lands and waters that are healthy, and we will restore the integrity of natural areas that have been damaged. We will strive to retain abundant and sustainable habitat for our diverse fish and wildlife resources, and we will reduce or eliminate threats to at-risk plant and animal species.

Strategic Objectives

Improve land and water health by managing wetlands, uplands, and riparian areas

Statement:

Improve land and water health by managing the wetlands, uplands, and riparian areas that comprise our national parks, wildlife refuges, and BLM lands.

Description:

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FY 14-15 Priority Goal: Climate Change Adaptation

Statement:

Climate change adaptation.

By September 30, 2015, the Department of the Interior will demonstrate maturing implementation of climate change adaptation as scored when carrying out strategies in its Strategic Sustainability Performance Plan.

Description:

Problem or opportunity being addressed

The Department has established policy emphasizing the importance of considering and analyzing potential climate change impacts when undertaking long-range planning exercises. Such plans must evaluate risks to and vulnerabilities in bureau operations and missions, and outline actions to manage these in the short- and long-term. The Department continues to develop, implement and update comprehensive plans to integrate consideration of climate change science and response strategies into operations to help make the nation’s communities, watersheds, and natural resources more resilient, and safeguard our cultural heritage.

Relationship to agency strategic goals and objectives

The Secretary of the Interior has identified the effects of climate change as a major challenge affecting missions across the Department, just as the President has identified in his Climate Change Action Plan Policy and Executive Order 13514 (October 5, 2009) and on “Preparing the United States for the Impacts of Climate Change” (November 1, 2013). The Department’s Climate Change Adaptation Policy (523 DM 1) provides a set of principles and guidance to bureaus and offices for addressing climate change impacts on the Department’s mission, programs, operations and personnel. The policy also establishes roles and responsibilities for carrying out climate change adaptation principles.

Key barriers and challenges

Understanding, communicating, and responding to the diversity of impacts associated with climate change across the various landscapes of the United States is an ambitious undertaking. Identifying similar terminology and means of measurement, engaging in collaborative communications with partners both within and outside DOI, obtaining adequate scientific understanding, and integrating various datasets and information sources are just some aspects of this undertaking that are already underway, and each of these activities is challenging.

Stakeholder Engagement

Climate Science Centers and Landscape Conservation Cooperatives are engaging Interior and other Federal agencies, local and State partners, and the public to craft practical, landscape-level strategies for managing climate-change impacts within the eight regions. The Department is building the scientific and organizational infrastructure to work with partners in the development of adaptation tools and the coordination of climate-change responses at the landscape level. We are partnering to develop state-of-the-art strategies to translate science into adaptive management and to develop robust ecological-forecasting models.

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Sustain fish, wildlife, and plant species

Statement:

Sustain fish, wildlife, and plant species by protecting and recovering the Nation’s fish and wildlife in cooperation with partners, including states.

Description:

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Manage wildland fire for landscape resiliency, strengthen the ability of communities to protect against fire, and provide for public and firefighter safety in wildfire response

Statement:

Manage wildland fire for landscape resiliency, strengthen the ability of communities to protect against fire, and provide for public and firefighter safety in wildfire response.

Description:

Preparedness activities provide the foundation for a safe and effective strategic response to unplanned ignitions, and enable land managers to develop collaborative efforts to achieve fire-adapted communities and landscapes that are resilient to the effect of wildfire. Fuel treatments improve the integrity and resilience of our forest and rangelands while reducing the risks of high severity wildfires and the impacts of such fires to people, communities, and natural and cultural resources located near or adjacent to federal or tribal lands. Rehabilitation of our most severely damaged lands from high impact wildfires minimizes future threats to life, property, natural and cultural resources in order to stabilize and prevent unacceptable degradation to these key values. The Department works collaboratively with other Federal, Tribal, State, and local governments to help protect life and property, limit damages to natural and cultural resources during wildfire response, and reduce program and management duplication.

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