Riparian areas, those lush green zones along creeks, are among the most important habitats in the West. Riparian areas support 70–80 percent of the West’s wildlife. They also help regulate water flow, acting like a sponge that soaks up water and slowly releases it throughout the summer. Healthy riparian areas are critical wildlife corridors that connect the arid portions of the West. Riparian vegetation traps sediment and pollutants and helps to maintain water quality.
Riparian wetlands comprise 9% of the land area on BLM lands, offering significant potential for creating natural firebreaks. Since 2000, forested wildfire acreage has grown by a factor of three 2000 due to climate warming; thus, restoring riparian areas may help to limit fire spread.
Despite their critical importance, riparian areas have suffered significant losses and degradation. A study titled “Effects of Cattle Grazing on North American Arid Ecosystems” summarizes the multiple impacts of livestock grazing. The impacts include soil compaction, loss of vegetation, bank breakage, and numerous other losses to ecological function.
A survey of livestock influence on riparian areas concluded that “livestock grazing was found to negatively affect water quality and seasonal quantity, stream channel morphology, hydrology, riparian zone soils, instream and stream bank vegetation, and aquatic and riparian wildlife. No positive environmental impacts were found. “
A study of SW riparian areas by the Center for Biological Diversity found of the cumulative 2,435.6 critical habitat stream miles surveyed, 50 percent of the cumulative total (1,197.8 miles) showed significant damage from livestock grazing; 13 percent (315.0 miles) showed moderate damage; 23 percent (558.1 miles) showed light damage, and 14 percent (364.7 miles) showed no damage (Table 1). In 2024, assessments across 489.3 critical habitat stream miles show 45 miles (217.9 miles) with significant damage, 13 percent (63.2 miles) with moderate damage, 16 percent (79.5 miles) with light damage, and 26 percent (126 miles) with no damage.
A study comparing riparian vegetation structure between grazed areas and exclosures (no grazing) found that exclosures had nearly 2 times the litter cover, while grazed areas had 4 times as much bare ground. Willow canopy coverage was 8 1/2 times greater in protected areas than in grazed areas. Willows stay green all summer and could act to stop fires.