Conservation groups have sued the Bureau of Land Management, alleging it’s failed to protect the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation area in southern Arizona from the harms of livestock grazing.
The lawsuit was filed Tuesday. The groups say the BLM’s 2019 management plan allows for destructive levels of livestock grazing on protected lands.
The San Pedro Riparian National Conservation area covers nearly 55,000 acres of riparian areas and uplands and is home to more than 400 bird species.
According to conservationists, the BLM decision allows grazing on four allotments and included a provision allowing it to increase the number of livestock allowed in the future without seeking public input.
The BLM has not responded to the lawsuit.
