Science in Practice Portal

Q&A

• What are Rapid Ecoregional Assessments (REAs)?

• REAs are reviews of science and collections of data aimed at sustaining the health and productivity of America’s public lands. They use existing scientific information to identify resource conditions and trends within an ecoregion, providing the BLM with area-wide looks at entire regions of the west that we hadn’t had before. REAs are designed to increase our knowledge and understanding of our natural resources and to establish baseline conditions needed to assess changes in conditions over time.

  REAs gather and synthesize existing data for all the lands in an ecoregion. They help identify important habitats for fish, wildlife, and species of concern. REAs also help identify areas that are not ecologically intact or readily restorable; and where development activities may be directed to minimize potential impacts. REAs then gauge the potential of these habitats to be affected by four overarching environmental change agents: climate change, wildfires, invasive species, and urban and energy development. Their large scale approach is designed to help us identify patterns of environmental change that may not be evident when managing smaller, local land areas. In contrast to more traditional BLM studies, the REAS do not assess the conditions of specific areas, such as grazing allotments, nor do they describe desired future conditions.

• What are ecoregions?

• Ecoregions are large geographic areas defined by their shared ecological characteristics and processes. They contain the same types of natural resources and are similarly affected by environmental variables. Ecoregions cross traditional administrative boundaries such as county and state lines and typically encompass areas much larger than those managed by individual BLM field offices.

  For REAs, the BLM used the Environmental Protection Agency's "Level III ecoregions," which are widely used by other federal and state government agencies and academic researchers. The North American continent contains 182 Level III ecoregions. Examples of Level III ecoregions include the cactus-dotted Sonoran Desert and canyon lands of Colorado Plateau. The ecoregions that the BLM is assessing in the lower 48 states range in size from 13 million to 89 million acres. The Alaska REAs are considerably larger.

• Do REAs only consider data about the public lands within an ecoregion?
• No. REAs use information about the natural resources of all the lands within an ecoregion. In this way, the REAs can provide a foundation for formulating coordinated strategies that more accurately reflect environmental challenges, such as climate change, wildfire, invasive species and development, that transcend land management boundaries. Including all the lands in an ecoregion also helps us understand how important wildlife habitats are connected, recognize opportunities to strengthen or maintain connections, and identify potential threats to existing connections. In short, REAs can help us identify where the best opportunities exist for conserving or restoring key areas, or developing resources.
• What areas are covered by REAs?

• The BLM had published 12 REAs by 2017: Central Basin and Range, Colorado Plateau, Madrean Archipelago, Mojave Basin and Range, Middle Rockies, Northern Great Basin, Northwestern Plains, North Slope, Seward Peninsula, Sonoran Desert, Wyoming Basin, and Yukon Kuskokwim. In 2018, BLM plans to complete three REAs for the Central Yukon, the Chihuahuan Desert, and the Southern Great Plains.

  In addition to the REAs, a landscape assessment (similar to an REA) was completed for the San Luis Valley and Taos Plateau; this addresses planning and mitigation for solar energy zones. Also the Colorado Plateau REA was expanded to include all of Utah in 2014-5.

• Why are they called “rapid” assessments, if they take about 18 months to complete?
• When compared to studies that conduct research or collect new data, or to the preparation of a BLM land use plan, which typically take from 36 to 48 months to complete, REAs are relatively rapid. REAs do not collect new data: they synthesize existing data and model the effects of broad scale change.
• Who else did you invite to participate when creating the REAs?
• For each REA, the BLM led an Assessment Management Team that includes other federal and state land managers. Each of the REA teams guides the assessment and oversees the work of the contractors who perform the technical data management and analysis tasks. The contractors have been hired by the BLM for their special expertise in natural resource assessment, data management, and conservation planning.
• Do REAs make resource management decisions?
• No. REAs do not make management decisions or allocate resource uses. They provide science-based information and tools for land managers and stakeholders to consider in subsequent resource planning and decision-making processes, such as developing or amending Resource Management Plans (RMPs). In contrast to more traditional BLM studies, the REAs do not assess the conditions of individual smaller areas, such as grazing allotments, nor do they describe desired future conditions.
• When will the BLM issue specific findings on the REAS?
• REAs do not contain findings and recommendations. The REA data will, however, be used as the BLM creates resource management plans (RMPs) and other documents that will be used to make resource management decisions.
• How will the BLM use the REAs?

• The BLM will use the REAs to inform resource management at local and regional levels. At the local level, the REAs will enhance the quality of land use planning and environmental analysis conducted by BLM district and field offices. The information, maps, and tools provided by the REAs will strengthen analyses of the projected and cumulative effects of land management actions and environmental change on natural resources. Information from the REAs should also help provide context for local land management efforts and integrate them with larger, region-wide initiatives.

  At the ecoregional level, the BLM will use the REAs, along with input from partner agencies, stakeholders, and Native American Tribes, to inform management strategies. BLM offices and partners use this information in dealing with broad scale issues, such as Greater Sage-Grouse conservation. Information from the REAs may be useful to states with multi-agency landscape restoration efforts such as Restore New Mexico and Utah Partners for Conservation and Development.

  At the national level, the BLM will use the REAs to help formulate budget proposals and to establish funding priorities. Information from the REAs may also help BLM review national-level programs and identify areas where new policy is needed.

  Other Federal agencies, including the U.S. Forest Service, the Federal Highway Administration and the Defense Department may use the information from the BLM’s REAs in their planning processes as well.

• How confident are you in the REA’s depictions of future ecological conditions?
• The REA results are the product of data synthesis and scientific modeling. They are “snapshots” based on the best available data at the time they were prepared. They depend on the quality of the data and the assumptions that were used in the model. Anyone applying REA results should examine the input data, model design, and assumptions. This information is found in written reports and model overviews on the Explore REA Data.
• Why didn’t the BLM cover grazing in the REAs?

• The BLM considered including grazing as one of the “change agents,” along with climate change, wild fire, invasive species and development when it was developing the REA concept. After reviewing available grazing data, the BLM decided that its grazing data, while effective for its local-level decisions, did not provide the consistent, broad scale data necessary for an REA.

  The BLM is addressing data availability and consistency in all its programs, including grazing. In May 2012 it adopted the Assessment, Inventory and Monitoring (AIM) strategy. This strategy helps ensure that BLM collects a core set of data on soil stability, hydrologic function, and biotic integrity – the fundamentals of rangeland health. These data are collected using a probabilistic sampling design and standard field methods. They provide information that can be aggregated at various scales to inform BLM management at local, regional, and national levels. The AIM data management plan ensures that these data are available to other agencies, such as the USGS and the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the public.

• What about assessing the effects of wild horse grazing or Off-Highway Vehicles (OHVs) as change agents in REAs?
• As with grazing, the BLM could not identify sufficient region-wide data or appropriate analytical models to incorporate wild horse grazing or OHV use into the development of the REAs. If such data and models become available, future REAs could assess these or other change agents.
• Why aren’t you assessing cultural resources in the REAs? 
• Cultural resources and tribal values are important components for landscape-scale ecoregional assessments. The BLM piloted four projects, starting in 2014, that address integrating cultural values into landscape assessments.  The San Luis Valley-Taos Plateau project is a modified REA that incorporates cultural resources and tribal values. The Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan (DRECP) was designed to facilitate and streamline renewable energy production while conserving sensitive desert resources including recreational and cultural resources as well as species and ecosystems. In a collaboration with the Northern Cheyenne Tribes, BLM identified and incorporated tribal values within the Northwest Plains and Middle Rocky Mountain ecoregions. Lastly in the  North Slope Project, BLM addressed issues relating to effective use of cultural resource data derived from multiple sources and with different standards. Each pilot study addresses a particular challenge and each will yield lessons learned and best practices. Taken together these pilots form a fairly comprehensive platform to instruct future efforts to integrate cultural and tribal values in to landscape-scale ecoregional assessments.
• Why don’t REAs address the economic issues of the ecoregions they cover?
• REAs are primarily assessments of existing and projected ecological condition. They complement the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA) Inventory of Onshore Federal Oil and Natural Gas Resources that the Departments of Agriculture, Energy and Interior prepared in 2008 and the on-line Economic Profiling Systems that the Forest Service and BLM are supporting. Taken together these tools provide local resource managers with a significant amount of information about social, economic and natural resources trends.
• Are there plans to update or add to the REAs?

• Nationally there are no plans to update or add to the REAs. However BLM local offices can initiate plans to either update and add to the REAs as needed. New and updated data and science may become available or other new needs may be identified that were not in the original REA.

  For example, a step-down assessment was completed for the Colorado Plateau REA which increases the extent of the original REA by including the state of Utah. In the new assessment, new models were developed and data resolution was refined with updated data sources. This does not replace the original REA but rather augments it. Similarly a climate change supplement was added to the Northern Great Basin REA in 2017.

• What is the relationship of the REAs to the Landscape Conservation Cooperatives (LCCs) that have been established by the Department of the Interior (DOI)?
• The Department of the Interior has established 22 LCCs which span the nation. These LCCs are composed of private, state, Tribal, and Federal representatives who will work toward a shared vision of landscape health and sustainability. The LCCs are generally based on the Environmental Protection Agency's "Level II ecoregions," which encompass multiple “Level III ecoregions” used in the REAs. Data and models developed in the REAs have been used in conjunction with other data to inform work done through LCC partnerships.
• Are other organizations conducting large scale assessments similar to BLM’s REAs?
• Yes. We are aware of several ongoing assessments, including work by the National Park Service, the Nature Conservancy, and the Western Governors’ Association. Sage-grouse conservation planning by state and federal agencies and others used multi-scale assessments including those at large scales. Other projects that used large scale assessments include the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan and the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska Integrated Activity Plan/EIS and Regional Mitigation Strategy. A landscape assessment (similar to an REA) was completed for the San Luis Valley and Taos Plateau which addresses planning and mitigation for solar energy zones.
• How do these other assessments relate to BLM’s REAs?
• These multiple assessment efforts are important and needed. They are working to provide scientifically-grounded information needed to conserve crucial wildlife habitats in an era of complex and widespread environmental challenges. Although these efforts share common goals, they are different in some key aspects: Some focus on different environmental stressors, others cover different geographic areas. BLM encourages people who use the REAs to consider the results of these other assessments at the same time.