Private working lands sew together our public lands and provide important spaces for fish and wildlife, supporting crucial migratory habitats and important winter ranges. Agricultural operations that share the landscape with carnivores like grizzly bears and wolves face unique challenges, in addition to the significant threats posed by drought, climate change, development pressure, and volatile markets.
Carnivore Conflict Reduction programs are critical to maintaining producer viability as large carnivore populations stabilize, increase, and expand geographically, coming in closer contact with agricultural operations and rural communities. Conflicts that occur threaten the long-term viability of carnivore populations and the resiliency and health of rural communities.
In June of 2023, Heart of the Rockies Initiative and partners convened a workshop that brought together landowners, agricultural producers, Tribes, state and federal agencies, and nonprofit organizations from across Montana and the West to explore solutions that would increase funding, technical assistance, and coordination to prevent conflicts between carnivores and agricultural producers, while supporting the economic viability of working lands that provide important space for wildlife.
Priority needs and opportunities identified included:
Along with our partners, we work on wildlife connectivity and conservation policies to ensure predictable and stable funding, as well as improved coordination, at the state and federal levels to scale up Carnivore Conflict Reduction and increase support for locally-led carnivore conflict reduction efforts. Providing increased access to conflict prevention tools like range riding, carcass management programs, and electric fencing can help reduce the financial burden associated with ranching in areas occupied by carnivores.
Tools like electric fencing and bear-resistant sanitation infrastructure help prevent conflicts in rural communities. Both wildlife and working lands benefit when producers and landowners have reliable and predictable access to a suite of tools and resources that address the root issue: preventing conflicts from happening in the first place. By reducing the financial impact of carnivores on agricultural operations, we can help ranchers stay on the land, maintaining open spaces that benefit rural communities and wildlife.
Development and implementation of conflict prevention tools require the participation and cooperation of many parties. This work has been a collaborative effort that relies on the lived experience of livestock producers and Tribes who directly experience conflict. Heart of the Rockies convenes the Landowner-Led Conflict Reduction Partnership, a Montana partnership of nine landowner-led groups and the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, that support one another in carnivore conflict prevention efforts.
Each member of the Landowner-Led Conflict Reduction Partnership serves as the voice for dozens of local landowners and producers under their membership and regularly communicates local interests and concerns to HRI and other project partners. In addition, the knowledge and experience of staff from multiple agencies, including Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, Wildlife Services nonlethal staff, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Partners for Fish and Wildlife and Grizzly Bear Recovery Office staff, contribute to increased effectiveness of conflict prevention tools through both financial and technical assistance. Several non-governmental organizations also provide local assistance to landowners and communities and offer their expertise in outreach and communication.
HRI partners with the Natural Resources Defense Council and the National Parks Conservation Association to advance policies and strategies at both the state and federal levels that will direct additional funding and resources to carnivore conflict prevention efforts, allowing effective work occurring at the local level to be scaled up for greater impact.
Key takeaways from the infographic:
HRI is partnering with the Western Landowners Alliance on a national Conservation Innovation Grant from Natural Resources Conservation Service to explore ways of reducing the financial and social burden to private landowners of expanding predator populations.
Key takeaways from the project summary: