Supporting recognition of 2026 as the “International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists”.

Supporting recognition of 2026 as the “International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists”.

Whereas rangelands cover up to 770,000,000 acres of land in the United States;

Whereas rangelands include prairies, grasslands, pampas, shrublands, wetlands, woodlands, savannas, chaparrals, steppes, and tundras inhabited by grasses, grass-like plants, forbs, or shrubs that comprise nearly 36 percent of land in the United States;

Whereas rangelands are economically, socially, and culturally vital to human communities through an array of ecological services, water resources, biodiversity, wildlife habitat, and carbon sequestration and storage, and provide renewable and nonrenewable energy resources and aesthetic and recreational opportunities;

Whereas American rangelands are crucial for domestic production of forage, food, and fiber like beef, lamb, wool, and hides, as more than 50 percent of the national sheep herd and 60 percent of the Western cattle herd spend some time on Federal public rangelands;

Whereas rangelands cover over half the terrestrial surface of the globe, totaling more than 19,800,000,000 acres and supporting nearly 2,000,000,000 people;

Whereas pastoral grazing management decreases the risk of catastrophic wildfire by up to 60 percent, makes rangelands more diverse and resilient, and increases biodiversity;

Whereas pastoralists are the ranchers, nomads, and transhumant herders who raise livestock or semi-domesticated animals as they steward and protect these rangelands;

Whereas American pastoralists and ranchers have generations of traditional knowledge in managing these landscapes and use science-based management, adaptive grazing practices, and emerging information and technologies to support ecological balance and economic productivity;

Whereas American ranchers and land management stewards work with the Federal Government to manage 43 percent of the rangelands across the country, with millions of acres managed as private land on agricultural operations;

Whereas rangelands and the pastoralists who manage them play a key role in domestic food security, rural community viability, and ecosystem health in the United States and worldwide;

Whereas the United Nations, in recognition of the vital nature of rangelands and the significance of pastoralism to the stewardship and societal benefits of rangelands, designated 2026 as the “International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists”;

Whereas national, regional, provincial, and local governments around the world will celebrate the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists in 2026 through education, research, advertisements, films, and advocacy efforts that are supportive of rangelands and pastoralists; and

Whereas the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists provides an opportunity for the United States to highlight the contributions of pastoralists, ranchers, farmers, scientists, and land managers in the United States and across the world who work on behalf of multiple-use and sustainable rangeland management: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the House of Representatives—

(1) supports recognizing the “International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists”;

(2) recognizes the economic, social, and ecological importance of rangelands and the ranchers, farmers, land managers, pastoralists, and partners who have been caretakers of the American rangelands for generations; and

(3) encourages Federal agencies, universities, and organizations across the country to engage in activities that promote education, research, and outreach related to rangeland management.