What specific decisions can be made based on the criteria and indicators and data in the SRR First Approximation Report?
The SRR report will lead to agency decisions to improve and coordinate data collection efforts nationally, in order to show trends in rangeland sustainability. The First Approximation Report will not give specific data for the indicators; it will identify and evaluate existing data sets and describe the types of data needed in the future. Policy makers then will hopefully be able to use these data to improve the quality of their decisions. We already collect a lot of information on the environment. Isn’t it enough? Can’t we already accurately assess the condition of rangelands without knowing about the indicators in this SRR First Approximation Report? First, the available environmental data on rangelands is patchy and often overlapping. In statistical terms, it is neither collectively exhaustive nor mutually exclusive. As a result, scientists cannot make conclusions about the ecological status and trends of U.S. rangelands. Secondly, our society has become aware that environmental ind
