Sustainable Rangeland Management, Economic Growth, and a Cautious Role for the SRM

is when per capita production and consumption grow. This may occur when more hours are spent working; but more important, for the long-term, is new technology, which leads to higher rates of extraction and/or more effi cient use of resources. For most nations, economic growth refl ects a concurrent increase in population and per capita production and consumption, all facilitated by the development and implementation of new technology. The size of an economy is indicated by its gross domestic product (GDP). GDP is a simultaneous measure of production, income, and expenditure occurring within designated boundaries during a given time period. It is calculated in terms of the monetary value of fi nal goods and services. For example, a loaf of bread is a fi nal good, whereas wheat is an intermediate good. Only the value of a loaf of bread, as determined by its market price, is accounted for in the calculation of GDP. As economists and others have often noted, GDP is not necessarily a good indicator of an economy’s “health” or vigor, much less an indicator of a community’s overall welfare. However, GDP is an excellent indicator of an economy’s size. In the United States, for example, GDP has been calculated by the Bureau of Economic Analysis since the early twentieth century, with much attention paid to methodological consistency and accounting accuracy. Such diligence refl ects, in part, the nation’s historic emphasis on economic growth as a policy goal. Conversely, other measures of economic performance (e.g., Index of Sustainable Economic Welfare) and human well-being (e.g., Genuine Progress Indicator) must be considered to obtain a more holistic vision of any economy. The economic activities that occur on rangelands, such as livestock production, mining, energy extraction, recreation, and exurban development, represent sectors that tend to grow as an integrated whole with sectors located elsewhere. For example, a miner brings metals into production that, when manufactured into an implement, are used in the handling and transportation of livestock. The miner, factory Interest in the art and science of rangeland management increased dramatically during the twentieth century and it was out of this interest that the Society for Range Management (SRM) was born. A review of SRM’s early policy statements, position statements, and resolutions reveals SRM’s focus was on “traditional” range management issues, such as livestock grazing, rangeland inventory, and multiple uses of rangeland resources. As public interest in rangeland management grew, so did the number, breadth, and depth of rangeland management issues. Consequently, SRM has responded to these new challenges and opportunities by adopting additional policy statements that address a wider array of rangeland management issues, such as biological diversity, noxious and invasive weeds, protection of rangeland and open space values, and reauthorization of the Endangered Species Act. The evolution of SRM policy statements reveals a general concern with the health and sustainability of rangelands, which in turn refl ects an overall concern in academia and public life about ecological and economic sustainability. We believe this is an important and appropriate trend, in and out of the SRM. We also believe that the number and diversity of rangeland management issues will continue to increase in concert with increasing demands for rangeland resources, and that public policies facilitating economic growth have the general effect of increasing demands for natural resources derived from rangelands. The objective of this article is to encourage the SRM to begin to address the effects of continued economic growth on rangeland resources.