Overgrazing Issues on Indian Lands

After going over the readings, and looking over today's discussion, I am fascinated by the issue of overgrazing on Indian lands. I have spent almost my entire life around horses and this topic is not news to me. For years, overgrazing has been a topic of much debate and horses continue to experience the aftermath. Just two years ago, more than 1,500 federally protected horses were sent to Mexican slaughterhouses, an action which sparked numerous discussions surrounding animal welfare and how to humanely tackle the removal of horses from lands that have experienced overgrazing.

It was interesting to me that the Indian people agree with reducing the number of horses and donkeys to help with the overgrazing issue, but continue to show lack of support for decreasing the number of cattle, which ironically contribute more to land erosion. I believe that the issue lies in the lack of proper explanation surrounding the true impact of overgrazing. The Bureau of Land Management is part of the issue as it has continuously refused to acknowledge that overgrazing is a significant issue. For example, in many Western states, the BLM permits grazing on 100% of available land. It rarely considers a reduction in grazing allotments. I think that the problem has continued to expand since the mid-1900s, and that the future of grazing lands, specifically in Western states, lies in proper scientific explanation. I also feel strongly that the answer is absolutely not mass horse slaughter, but I will avoid opening that can of worms.