Title 16ConservationRelease 119-73

§7202 Establishment of the National Landscape Conservation System

Title 16 › Chapter CHAPTER 91— - NATIONAL LANDSCAPE CONSERVATION SYSTEM › § 7202

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

Creates the National Landscape Conservation System inside the Bureau of Land Management to conserve, protect, and restore nationally important lands with special cultural, ecological, and scientific value for people now and in the future. The system must include several kinds of protected areas (for example, national monuments, national conservation areas, wilderness study areas, parts of national scenic or historic trails, Wild and Scenic Rivers components, and Wilderness Preservation System lands) plus any areas Congress adds. It also names examples Congress already placed in the system, like the Steens Mountain Cooperative Management and Protection Area, the Headwaters Forest Reserve, Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area, and public lands in the California Desert Conservation Area. The Secretary must manage the system under the laws that apply to each area and must protect the reasons the areas were set aside. Nothing here changes or overrides the laws or proclamations that created or govern those places (including the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, the Wilderness Act, the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, the National Trails System Act, and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act). State authority over fish and resident wildlife, and rules about hunting, fishing, trapping, and recreational shooting, remain the same, and access for those activities is not limited.

Full Legal Text

Title 16, §7202

Conservation — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)In order to conserve, protect, and restore nationally significant landscapes that have outstanding cultural, ecological, and scientific values for the benefit of current and future generations, there is established in the Bureau of Land Management the National Landscape Conservation System.
(b)The system shall include each of the following areas administered by the Bureau of Land Management:
(1)Each area that is designated as—
(A)a national monument;
(B)a national conservation area;
(C)a wilderness study area;
(D)a national scenic trail or national historic trail designated as a component of the National Trails System;
(E)a component of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System; or
(F)a component of the National Wilderness Preservation System.
(2)Any area designated by Congress to be administered for conservation purposes, including—
(A)the Steens Mountain Cooperative Management and Protection Area;
(B)the Headwaters Forest Reserve;
(C)the Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area;
(D)public land within the California Desert Conservation Area administered by the Bureau of Land Management for conservation purposes; and
(E)any additional area designated by Congress for inclusion in the system.
(c)The Secretary shall manage the system—
(1)in accordance with any applicable law (including regulations) relating to any component of the system included under subsection (b); and
(2)in a manner that protects the values for which the components of the system were designated.
(d)(1)Nothing in this chapter enhances, diminishes, or modifies any law or proclamation (including regulations relating to the law or proclamation) under which the components of the system described in subsection (b) were established or are managed, including—
(A)the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (16 U.S.C. 3101 et seq.);
(B)the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.);
(C)the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (16 U.S.C. 1271 et seq.);
(D)the National Trails System Act (16 U.S.C. 1241 et seq.); and
(E)the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.).
(2)Nothing in this chapter shall be construed as affecting the authority, jurisdiction, or responsibility of the several States to manage, control, or regulate fish and resident wildlife under State law or regulations, including the regulation of hunting, fishing, trapping and recreational shooting on public land managed by the Bureau of Land Management. Nothing in this chapter shall be construed as limiting access for hunting, fishing, trapping, or recreational shooting.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

The Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, referred to in subsec. (d)(1)(A), is Pub. L. 96–487, Dec. 2, 1980, 94 Stat. 2371. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see

Short Title

note set out under section 3101 of this title and Tables. The Wilderness Act, referred to in subsec. (d)(1)(B), is Pub. L. 88–577, Sept. 3, 1964, 78 Stat. 890, which is classified generally to chapter 23 (§ 1131 et seq.) of this title. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see

Short Title

note set out under section 1131 of this title and Tables. The Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, referred to in subsec. (d)(1)(C), is Pub. L. 90–542, Oct. 2, 1968, 82 Stat. 906, which is classified generally to chapter 28 (§ 1271 et seq.) of this title. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see

Short Title

note set out under section 1271 of this title and Tables. The National Trails System Act, referred to in subsec. (d)(1)(D), is Pub. L. 90–543, Oct. 2, 1968, 82 Stat. 919, which is classified generally to chapter 27 (§ 1241 et seq.) of this title. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see

Short Title

note set out under section 1241 of this title and Tables. The Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, referred to in subsec. (d)(1)(E), is Pub. L. 94–579, Oct. 21, 1976, 90 Stat. 2743, which is classified principally to chapter 35 (§ 1701 et seq.) of Title 43, Public Lands. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see

Short Title

note set out under section 1701 of Title 43 and Tables.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

16 U.S.C. § 7202

Title 16Conservation

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73