Fostering triple bottom line stewardship through holistic grazing

Grazing is one of the predominant land uses globally with significant influences on the ecological health of grazed landscapes. Although some grazing practices have been shown to degrade habitat and ecological conditions,... [ view full abstract ]

Grazing is one of the predominant land uses globally with significant influences on the ecological health of grazed landscapes. Although some grazing practices have been shown to degrade habitat and ecological conditions, other practices may be compatible with conservation and grazing can be used as tool to achieve ecological goals. The Colorado chapter of The Nature Conservancy has been working with multiple partners and stakeholders since 2012 to protect and enhance Colorado’s grazing lands by developing and testing integrated planning and management approaches to achieve ecological, financial, and quality of life outcomes. In this presentation, we outline a set of case studies that describe how integrated ranch planning and management (IRPM), of which Holistic Management is a leading example, is being used to achieve social, economic, and environmental outcomes. Using qualitative interview data, we highlight the experiences and perceptions of ranchers that have adopted IRPM methods and compare them with those that use conventional practices. Ultimately, we argue that IRPM represents one approach to fostering stewardship practices to meet triple bottom line objectives.