Working lands, both publicly and privately owned, make up the majority of the land area in California, in the United States, and worldwide. And because working lands—land used for agriculture—face daunting threats such as urbanization and climate change, it is essential that they be managed in ways that allow farmers and ranchers to produce food while also providing habitat for wildlife.
Point Blue’s working lands projects recognize agriculture’s significant role in long-term environmental stewardship. Our efforts have the common goal of increasing these lands’ ability to support wildlife populations and improve soil and water resources while remaining economically viable. For example, we have done work that shows that certain grazing techniques can help control invasive plants. We’ve also found that flooding rice fields creates surrogate wetlands that make great habitats for waterbirds.
We are expanding watershed conservation and working with other restoration efforts for privately owned streams to reduce erosion, improve water quality and enhance wildlife habitat.
Most importantly, we are ramping up the direct engagement we have with farmers and ranchers so we can better understand their needs and challenges. It’s all a part of our goal to create viable long-term conservation solutions that are successful from both an ecological and an economic perspective.