Tribal Recommendations: Overview
Over the last few decades, Native American tribes have individually and collectively developed proven capacities for highly successful natural resource management. In the West, tribes manage nearly 38 million acres of land, including vast, undeveloped areas of great beauty and conservation value. In many cases they manage natural resources with equal or greater capacity than federal or state governments. However, federal and state policymakers continue to overlook the importance of empowering tribes and collaborating with them on issues of natural resource management and conservation. We have identified six recommendations that empower tribes in their resource management efforts and benefit partnering state and federal agencies:
- Recommendation 1: Support and strengthen tribal sovereignty
- Recommendation 2: Provide adequate and equitable funding for resource management
- Recommendation 3: Co-manage natural resources
- Recommendation 4: Implement the Joint Secretarial Order
- Recommendation 5: Protect sacred sites
- Recommendation 6: Support tribal land acquisition
