Policy and Programs for Ecosystem Management in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem: An Analysis

Yellowstone National Park and surrounding lands, known as the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, are at the center of a growing debate about the establishment of a region‐wide ecosystem management policy, the contents of such a policy, and the administrative arrangements needed to implement it effectively. This paper (1) introduces the major natural resource agencies in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, (2) reviews the problems obstructing improved management and uses case studies to illustrate the effectiveness of existing policies and programs in the ecosystem, and (3) describes and offers options for policy development and improved coordination among agency programs. Current resource management entities, dominated by federal agencies, are highly fragmented and operate under innumerable and often conflicting policies. Numerous problems exist, including the lack of shared problem definition by agencies and others, lack of unifying policy and goals, lack of interagency coordination, lack of data, and inability to use existing data efficiently. Varying recognition of problems by the agencies and their referent groups has led to a number of proposed solutions, which can be grouped as (1) development of consistent and comprehensive conservation policy and specific management goals, (2) generation and use of policy relevant knowledge, (3) reorganization and better management of agency bureaucracies, and (4) upgrading technical concepts and tools and improving information management. Effective ecosystem‐ wide coordinated management will ultimately depend upon well‐articulated and well implemented regional policies, standards, and programs.