6: Maintenance and enhancement of long-term multiple socio-economic benefits

The ability to retain rangeland in livestock production uses depends on the economics of those uses and the ability of owners to maintain their ownerships in comparison to competing uses. This indicator will look at current information on the costs and returns associated with conventional cow-calf and sheep operations on rangelands. It will provide insights into whether or not these operations are stable, increasing or declining due to economic forces.

This indicator is an indirect measure of income generated within workers’ areas of residence versus that from outside the area of residence. It indicates whether the residence community provides both economic and social benefits to the income earner. For rangeland communities, it indicates the extent to which rangelands provide the desirable rural setting where people want to live, but without the employment opportunities they require.

This indicator measures the differential between household income of existing residents in an area and that of in-migrants to the area. It addresses whether the people moving in are wealthier (or less wealthy) than those already there. Retirees or the wealthy may not rely on local natural resources for livelihoods in the same fashion as long-time residents or lower income in-migrants. Moreover, disparities in income are one indication of a lack of community cohesion that can be a barrier to local action on behalf of rangeland protection or sustainable management.

This indicator documents the degree to which different sources of economic wealth and growth within regions in rural California result in large disparities in the distribution of income. It covers a range of characteristics that assess the distribution of income and wealth across the different economic groups in rural areas, and the severity of the problems facing the local economically disadvantaged.

This indicator addresses economic distribution and speaks to social equity. It indicates the general welfare of the community by looking at the distribution of people across a range of incomes and measuring the income disparity in the community. It is a direct measure of economic and social stratification that complements poverty statistics. Lower levels of income inequality are associated with higher cohesion or integration of the community, leading to a more stable and resilient community.

The quality of social structure might include such things as access to and quality of medical care (e.g., per-capita hospital beds, numbers of physicians and nurses), the presence and extent of cultural and community services, the extent and availability of public recreational facilities (expenditures per capita on parks, etc.), and crime rates, among other things. An alternative to the Index of Social Structure Quality discussed above might be a measure of community resilience. A resilient community actively develops and utilizes all of its capitals, includes all segments of the community in community endeavors, engages groups to work together, works strategically toward development of the community, and works to ensure equity across community members.

This is a measure of the compensation of the average job. It is total earnings divided by total employment. Full-time and part-time jobs are counted at equal weight. Employees, sole proprietors, and active partners are included.

This indicator measures changes in ownership, ownership stability, and how the land is being used (e.g., ranging from public to private ownership, production agriculture to residential lots). It will measure how quickly rangelands are turning over (i.e., converting from one owner to another or from one use to another). It is important to sustainability because conversion of open rangeland to housing developments, for example, have an effect on many aspects of rangelands (e.g., loss of open space, habitat fragmentation, noxious weeds) as well as diminishing future options for the land.

This indicator measures individuals’ longevity of residence in a particular community and relates to social cohesion and integration, as well as a willingness to interact with others for a common good. It is also a measure of community stability. A large proportion of new residents could point toward social dysfunction or low community cohesion that might have implications for rangeland sustainability.

Livelihoods indicates the types of work people tend to be engaged in to make a living in rural California. This indicator also looks at transformations that have taken place in the recent past, due to changing economic conditions in rural California. This covers a broad range of characteristics that describe the changes through time in the way people earn a living in society.