desert plant community at Red Rock Canyon NCA

Plant Conservation & Restoration

The BLM manages 245 million acres of land in the United States. These public lands are home to a spectacular array of native plants. These plants form diverse native plant communities that define America's iconic landscapes - such as its sagebrush steppe, deserts, alpine forests, and prairies. These plant communities support a diversity of wildlife, fish, and vital ecological functions, as well as American lives and livelihoods.

The BLM conserves, maintains, and restores native plant communities through its land use planning and land management activities. Under its “multiple-use” and “sustained yield” mandate, the BLM conserves native plant communities that support multiple uses such as recreation, wildlife habitat provision, and grazing. The BLM also restores native plant communities for wildlife and pollinator habitat following energy development, mining, and wildfire.

Native plants are the true green infrastructure we rely on for healthy, resilient, biodiverse ecosystems. As wildfires and other climate-driven disasters continue to devastate the U.S., the BLM Plant Conservation and Restoration Program is working to ensure land managers across the country are able to buy the native seed that will work to restore native plant communities that provide wildlife habitat, ecosystem services, and recreational opportunities for all Americans to enjoy.

Joshua Trees and Wildflowers
The Mojave Desert, home to the iconic Joshua tree, is one of three priority ecoregions for the BLM Plant Conservation and Restoration Program. Photo by Bob Wick, BLM.

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