VIEWPOINT - SUSTAINING RANGELAND LANDSCAPES - A SOCIAL AND ECOLOGICALPROCESS

Sustaining rangeland ecosystems is as much a social process as an ecol ogical one, It requires application of many of the same principles as those used in planning for wildlife reserves, but the tenets of conser vation biology need to be applied to conserve social as well as ecolog ical structural elements and processes, For some rangelands, a crucial element in a sustainable, culturally meaningful, and ecologically ric h landscape is ranching, which is at once a collection of ecological p rocesses and interactions, and an expression of human community, Resul ts of several surveys and studies are used to highlight the ''culture clashes'' that occur at the ecological and social edges of landscape e lements, Unfortunately, differing expectations of what conserved areas should be like has hindered the creation of alliances between environ mentalists and ranchers that might prevent the degradation of the land scape by uncontrolled residential and urban development, In one Califo rnia case, successful planning and alliance building led to the conser vation of ranchlands, Zoning, conservation easements, political and fi nancial support for the livestock industry, community leadership, and recognition of the heritage value of rural lifeways all played a part in this success, Similar patterns have been noted in other parts of th e West, To conserve some of the most productive and biodiverse rangela nd landscapes, ranching must not just be tolerated as a means to an en vironmental end, but valued and planned for, ecologically, socially, a nd economically, Rangeland professionals have an important role to pla y in the development of sustainable social relationships that support sustainable rangelands.