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Journal articles on the topic 'Sustainable rangeland management'
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1
Dong, Shikui, and Ruth Sherman. "Enhancing the resilience of coupled human and natural systems of alpine rangelands on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau." Rangeland Journal 37, no. 1 (2015): i. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/rj14117.
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This special issue covers a wide range of topics on the protection and sustainable management of alpine rangelands on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP), including Indigenous knowledge of sustainable rangeland management, science-policy interface for alpine rangeland biodiversity conservation, adaptations of local people to social and environmental changes and policy design for managing coupled human-natural systems of alpine rangelands.
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Gharibvand, Hojatollah Khedri, Hossein Azadi, and Frank Witlox. "Exploring appropriate livelihood alternatives for sustainable rangeland management." Rangeland Journal 37, no. 4 (2015): 345. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/rj15027.
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Rangeland degradation and vulnerability of livelihoods are two major challenges facing pastoralists, rangeland managers and policy-makers in arid and semi-arid areas. There is a need to make holistic informed decisions in order to protect rangelands and sustain livelihoods. Through a comprehensive literature review on rangeland management policies and livelihood strategies of ‘rangeland users’, it is shown how such policies have affected sustainable rangeland management, how strategies to sustain livelihoods have been incomplete and how there has been a lack of a multi-disciplinary approach in acknowledging them. Accordingly, a set of appropriate livelihood alternatives is introduced and, thenceforth, a framework for their evaluation is developed. Supportive strategies for enhancing resilience are discussed as a research and policy-making gap. In this study, the keys to achieve sustainable livelihoods are acknowledged as ‘livelihoods’ resilience’, where livelihoods need to be supported by access to capital, means of coping with the contexts of vulnerability as well as by enhancing policies, institutions and processes. The paper proposes a set of ‘livestock-based livelihoods’ regarding ‘traditional pastoralism’ as well as ‘their mitigation and adaptation’. Moreover, their transformation to ‘commercial pastoralism’, ‘resource-based livelihoods’, ‘alternative livelihoods’ and ‘migration’ strategies is recognised to be employed by rangeland users as useful alternatives in different regions and under future changing conditions including climate change. These strategies embrace thinking on resilience and are supported by strategies that address social and ecological consequences of climate change consisting of mitigation, adaptation and transformation. It is argued that sustainable livelihoods and sustainable rangeland management will be achieved if they are supported by policies that build and facilitate a set of appropriate livelihood alternatives and keep them in a sustainable state rather than being limited to supporting ‘vulnerable livelihoods’. Finally, future directions for analysing and policy-making in selecting the best alternative to achieve sustainable livelihoods are indicated.
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Fenetahun, Yeneayehu, Yuan You, Xinwen Xu, Vincent Nzabarinda, and Yongdong Wang. "The Impact of Political Instability on Sustainable Rangeland Management: A Study of Borana Rangeland, Southern Ethiopia." Agriculture 11, no. 4 (April 15, 2021): 352. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/agriculture11040352.
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Political instability (PI) occurs between governments and other political elites either at the local, regional, and/or national levels. Planning, implementing, and monitoring of sustainable rangeland management strategies have a significant impact on the political environment of an area. In this study, the term PI implies an unsafe and unstable exercise of political power, and is a major obstacle to the implementation of sustainable rangeland management. The main purpose of this research was to provide empirical and theoretical knowledge by testing hypotheses about the impact of PI on the implementation of sustainable practice of rangeland management. Using in-depth interviews, this study conducted both structured and unstructured group discussions with 300 representative households of local pastoralists and others who were considered the key stakeholders in the sustainable activities of rangeland management. Results indicated that the local communities are significantly susceptible to the economic, environmental, and socio-cultural effects of sustainable management of rangeland due to PI. Furthermore, the impact of PI on the economic, environmental, and socio-cultural aspects of rangelands indicators was evaluated. The findings also proved that the satisfaction of pastoralists with rangeland productivity and function was significantly affected, and prevented pastoralists from participating in rangeland management practice.
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Wang, M. P., C. Z. Zhao, R. J. Long, and Y. H. Yang. "Rangeland governance in China: overview, impacts on Sunan County in Gansu Province and future options." Rangeland Journal 32, no. 2 (2010): 155. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/rj09085.
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The development of the current regulatory framework for management of rangeland resources in China began in 1949. Prior to this, there were family, tribal and other traditional systems of grazing management. The emphasis in government policy since 1949 has been to increase livestock production and economic output from the rangelands. The operations of these policies and regulations in Sunan County, a typical rangeland county in Gansu Province, are examined. The existing laws, policies, and regulations related to rangeland management in Sunan County and elsewhere are identified and described. It is argued that a policy based on rational processes should lead to desired outcomes. Therefore, emphasis needs to be placed on processes that facilitate the development and implementation of policies at every level of government to promote sustainable use and management of natural resources and to secure sustainable livelihoods. It is concluded that the rangeland policies have been rarely integrated with the concept of sustainable development. This is now changing. Sustainable development philosophy needs to be further incorporated into the developmental processes for rangeland policies. Until now processes have focused predominantly on economic performance.
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Arjjumend, Hasrat. "ENDANGERED NOMADIC PASTORALISM: A NEED FOR RESTRUCTURING THE POLICY PARADIGM OF RANGELAND COMMONS." Environmental Economics and Sustainable Development, no. 8(27) (2020): 56–63. http://dx.doi.org/10.37100/2616-7689/2020/8(27)/8.
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Fading fast all over the world, nomadic people have faced biases concerning their lifestyles and their symbiosis with rangelands. The nomadic grazing, which is helpful to biodiversity, not detrimental, in rangeland commons is perceived and advocated by deep ecologists, conservation administrators and policy makers as a threat to conservation of ecosystems. Consequently, both nomadic pastoralists and rangeland ecosystems have suffered a grim fate. On the contrary, the subsistence pastoralism is an established sustainable strategy of livelihood and ecosystem conservation in the rangelands. Unfortunately, some of the most nutritive foods and other sustainable products of nomadic pastoralists have not desirably been priced in modern markets. With the demonstrated cases exhibiting the nomadic pastoralists, such as Hutsul shepherd communities of Ukraine, as most sustainable societies on planet Earth, there is urgent need for restructuring the popular paradigm and State policies on rangeland commons. In isolation of nomadic people, the rangelands cannot truly be conserved or protected. To begin with, the resilience of nomadic pastoralists to the changing environments and their (unique) rangeland management can first be pondered. Accordingly, the policy and legal frameworks of States need to be reoriented and revised.
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Dong, S. K., J. P. Lassoie, Z. L. Yan, E. Sharma, K. K. Shrestha, and D. Pariya. "Indigenous rangeland resource management in the mountainous areas of northern Nepal: a case study from the Rasuwa District." Rangeland Journal 29, no. 2 (2007): 149. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/rj07033.
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Rangelands perform numerous functions that have significant ecological and livelihood values for mountain societies in Nepal. There are no other systems more suitable than indigenous management systems, which have evolved over long periods of time and offer approaches to land use that are suitable to the varying climatic, biophysical conditions and ethnic diversity that characterise Nepal. However, traditional resource management practices have been ignored in the past, which has resulted in conflicts and resource degradation. In this context, a survey was conducted in the Rasuwa District of northern Nepal to identify existing indigenous rangeland management systems, examine the challenges facing the development of sustainable practices and suggest possible strategies for promoting their development. It was concluded from this study that local herders in the Rasuwa District of northern Nepal have developed effective indigenous rangeland management systems that include good grazing and conservation practices. Well organised local institutional arrangements and efficient traditional right and tenure systems have evolved that result in the sustainable use of rangeland resources. However, both internal and external factors are now challenging these traditional systems. Results indicated that to remain sustainable rangeland management systems in northern Nepal will require a clear recognition of indigenous knowledge of rangeland management as well as the integration of indigenous practices and strategies with modern technologies. More attention should be paid to the facilitation of rangeland legislation covering traditional rights and customary tenure, institutional cooperation and collaboration between government and civil society. Co-management and participatory research and development should be initiated on rangeland resources and the improvement of infrastructure and public service systems.
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Saädi, Slim, and Gustave Gintzburger. "A spatial desertification indicator for Mediterranean arid rangelands: a case study in Algeria." Rangeland Journal 35, no. 1 (2013): 47. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/rj12021.
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Sheep and goat production is the main and sometimes only agricultural activity available to populations living on rangelands in the arid regions around the Mediterranean. Desertification threatens large areas of Mediterranean arid rangelands but remains difficult to describe, quantify and accurately locate for management purposes. A methodology is described which estimates a Spatial Rain-Use Efficiency Index (SRUEI) and its potential use to evaluate rangeland condition at a large scale. It is based on an Aboveground Net Primary Production (AGNPP) map generated from field herbage mass measurements and a rainfall spatial distribution map derived from local elevation–rainfall gradients with the whole resulting from satellite imagery processing and GIS technology. The area of the case study was in the Nâama–Mecheria region located on the High Plateau south of Oran (Algeria). It covers ~215 000 ha, receiving ~200 mm year–1 of winter and spring precipitation. The Nâama–Mecheria SRUEI-derived map clearly shows the degradation gradient declining away from the settlements. The Mecheria AGNPP 2007 map and associated grazing rings indicate that the Mecheria cooperative flocks may ingest 48–57% (Range Use Factor) of the rangeland’s seasonal plant production, which is barely compatible with sustainable rangeland use. When adding the effect of fuel wood collection by local residents and rain-fed arable cropping, the Nâama–Mecheria region is undoubtedly heading towards a slow but certain desertification of its fragile arid rangelands unless correcting measures are implemented. The SRUEI and associated results are powerful tools that allow rangeland conditions to be mapped, and which can be employed in planning and pursuing sustainable management of rangelands in such arid areas.
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Mansoor, Muhammad, Muhammad Jamil, Fawad Anwar, Aftab Ahmed Awan, and Sher Muhammad. "Review A Review on Rangeland Management in Pakistan, Bottlenecks and Recommendations." Biological Sciences - PJSIR 61, no. 2 (August 28, 2018): 115–20. http://dx.doi.org/10.52763/pjsir.biol.sci.61.2.2018.115.120.
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Role of rangelands in the livelihoods improvement of rural communes. is pivotal, through animal rearing, obtaining versatile products and services. Rangelands play key role in maintenance of agro- ecosystem and preservation of biodiversity in the country by improving infiltration rate, leading thereby a sustainable water flow in the down streams and reducing soil erosion. However, due to increased population pressure there is analogous increase in the demand for food, forage and other resources. In addition rangelands provide wildlife and fish habitat and recreation spots. Keeping in view the current global climate change scenario the government has given high priority to rangelands management, hence the concentration of the politicians and policy makers is to focus on the sustainable rangeland development and management. The article deals first with the importance of range management, then discusses rangelands problems of Pakistan, causes of degradation of rangelands, human factors contributing to range degradation and finally recommendations are discussed.
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Ahmadpour, Amir, Gholam Ali Heshmati, and Ramtin Joulaie. "Rangeland Condition Assessment Based on Economic Criteria." Journal of Landscape Ecology 9, no. 2 (November 1, 2016): 83–96. http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/jlecol-2016-0009.
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Abstract The current concept of rangeland condition is faced with many problems that make it difficult for managers to apply. The concept is based on climax theory, which itself has been criticised by many scientists, as it also fails to reflect the real status of rangelands based on all the functions and benefits that they are able to provide. Considering the objectives of rangeland management, a new concept of rangeland condition based on ecological and economic criteria (ECEA) is suggested in this article. In this concept, rangeland condition is achieved as ‘the ratio of current benefits of a rangeland to the operation costs for its ecological restoration (to the extent that the most sustainable benefits provided). Furthermore, based on this new concept an equation is developed for quantitative measurement of the rangeland condition. We believe that this new concept can solve many problems around the existing concept of rangeland condition.
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Wu, Xiaoyu, Xiangfeng Zhang, Shikui Dong, Hong Cai, Tianren Zhao, Wenjun Yang, Rong Jiang, Yandan Shi, and Junlin Shao. "Local perceptions of rangeland degradation and climate change in the pastoral society of Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau." Rangeland Journal 37, no. 1 (2015): 11. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/rj14082.
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Rangelands provide several valuable ecological services and provide for the livelihoods of local herders on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP). However, rangelands are being degraded due to overgrazing, policy changes and climate change. In this context, a survey was conducted in Zhuaxixiulong township of Gansu Province, China to examine the rangeland management systems and identify problems herders are facing in terms of livestock production and livelihoods using a Participatory Rural Appraisal approach. The results indicated that local herders perceived recent trends in rangeland degradation, climatic change, and political changes, and had developed management practices to adapt to these changes, such as adjusting transhumance patterns, cooperating with local institutions and adopting more collective actions in production practices. This study suggests that, to promote a sustainable rangeland management system in the QTP, policy-makers should recognise indigenous knowledge systems of grazing practices and rangeland management, as well as the need for more advanced technical methods. More attention should be paid to recent changes in climate, social transformations and economic changes to enhance the viability of such a pastoral society. To ensure the sustainability of the social–ecological system, there is a need to strengthen public participation and cooperation with all types of institutions to formulate appropriate policies and improve public services.
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Ferguson, Jan. "A sustainable future for the Australian rangelands." Rangeland Journal 34, no. 1 (2012): 27. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/rj11056.
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This paper proposes a broad overview of possible responses to the challenges posed by rangelands to promote discussion on a sustainable future for these vast regions. Rangelands Australia, an organisational unit of the University of Queensland, which promotes and delivers post graduate courses in rangeland management, assesses these challenges as managing the landscapes sustainably; supporting viability for pastoralists, tourism operators and miners; and maintaining benefits to our communities. It describes the desirable triple bottom line as profitable enterprises, healthy landscapes and vibrant communities. While there may be general agreement on these challenges and objectives, how we as a nation – and we as land managers specifically – meet them is the subject of intense debate. What is clear is that we can no longer maintain a ‘business-as-usual’ approach. We are all familiar with the effects of salinity and erosion and the impacts of feral animals and weed species. We understand the need for business in the rangelands to think smart about the environment, about markets and about communities and get smart or go under. We know that we have to do things differently or our rangeland communities will wither away as businesses fail and young people leave the bush due to lack of meaningful opportunity where they have grown up. The experiences and observations of the Desert Knowledge Cooperative Research Centre and the new Cooperative Research Centre for Remote Economic Participation complement and bring together existing strands of activity across jurisdictions and disciplines. This synthesis of understanding offers some insights in how to conceptualise the future and act on the vision for a sustainable future for these extensive areas.
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Louhaichi, Mounir, Mouldi Gamoun, Farah Ben Salem, and Azaiez Ouled Belgacem. "Rangeland Biodiversity and Climate Variability: Supporting the Need for Flexible Grazing Management." Sustainability 13, no. 13 (June 25, 2021): 7124. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su13137124.
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Resting or grazing exclusion is an effective practice widely adopted to restore degraded, arid rangelands. To understand its effect on plant diversity, we studied Hill’s diversity indices during two growing seasons (2017–2019). The experiment consisted of a three-level factorial design with four plant communities subjected to different resting durations (one, two, and three years) compared to continuously grazed areas (control). The results showed that rainfall plays an important role in arid rangeland restoration. Under favorable conditions, one-year grazing exclusion considerably enhanced species richness and evenness diversity compared to longer resting durations under dry to average rainfall conditions. The decision to how long livestock grazing exclusion would last should not be decided upfront as it depends on the climatic and the site-specific conditions. The findings of this study will have vital management implications for development agencies. Knowing that short grazing exclusion with adequate rainfall amount and distribution could be enough and offers a cost-effective technical option to ensure the sustainable restoration of arid rangeland. This flexible grazing management would also be more acceptable by the pastoral communities. Longer resting periods could have detrimental effects on arid rangeland vegetation, in addition to adding more pressure on the remaining rangeland areas open to grazing.
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Tumur, Erdenechuluun, Wim J. M. Heijman, Nico Heerink, and Bakey Agipar. "Critical factors enabling sustainable rangeland management in Mongolia." China Economic Review 60 (April 2020): 101237. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chieco.2018.10.004.
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Louhaichi, Mounir, Yigezu A. Yigezu, Jutta Werner, Lojoo Dashtseren, Tamer El-Shater, and Mohamed Ahmed. "Financial incentives: Possible options for sustainable rangeland management?" Journal of Environmental Management 180 (September 2016): 493–503. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2016.05.077.
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Pearson, Diane M. "Landscape ecology: its role as a trans-disciplinary science for rangeland sustainability." Rangeland Journal 35, no. 4 (2013): 363. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/rj12067.
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The aim is to review landscape ecology and the contribution it can make to sustainable rangeland management, using Australia as an example. An examination is made of how much traditional ecology, as a discipline, influences landscape ecology in Australia. Also evaluated is whether, under this influence, landscape ecology is emerging as effectively as it could be as a trans-disciplinary science that can contribute significantly to rangeland sustainability. Surveys of landscape ecologists in Australia make it possible to classify Australian landscape ecology as being ‘unidirectional interdisciplinary’ in approach, with ecology being the coordinating discipline. The important contribution that research under this classification provides in terms of understanding structure, process, and change in rangelands is recognised and acknowledged. However, the question is raised as to whether following an ecological construct is constraining the application of landscape ecology more widely to address the complex environmental problems facing Australia’s (and the world’s) rangelands that also require consideration of the social and geographical aspects of landscapes. Recent shifts in the landscape ecological paradigm towards a science for sustainability that links science and practice, with particular focus on landscape design, social and cultural aspects of landscapes, and the value associated with landscape services, make landscape ecology increasingly more useful as a ‘goal-oriented’ approach for addressing rangeland sustainability. This paper suggests that those involved in rangeland management need to consider landscape ecology within its wider context. In doing so, it is argued that they should explore the possibilities it has to offer in dealing with development and management of rangelands, including interrelationships between people and landscapes, and to ensure ecosystem goods and services valued by people are preserved.
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Abolhassani, Leili, Gerhard Oesten, Sandra Rajmis, and Hossein Azadi. "Attitudes of rangeland holders towards sustainable range management in Iran: a case study of the Semnan rangelands." Rangeland Journal 35, no. 4 (2013): 435. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/rj11079.
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Rangeland depletion is a persistent problem in many developing countries and is often a result of inappropriate management activities such as overstocking, particularly in the regions of West Asia and North Africa (WANA). To convert to a sustainable system of range management, programs aimed at improving rangeland condition, such as range management or livestock development plans, which are mainly based on the range succession model, have been developed and implemented by several governments. A primary objective of these programs is to maintain stocking rates at a sustainable level. However, in many cases, rangeland users’ ignorance of socioeconomic factors has caused ineffectual implementation and thus a reduction in the effectiveness of these programs overall. In this study, a survey was conducted on rangeland communities in central northern Iran where the livestock population is 15% above the proposed carrying capacity 20 years after the inception of the Range Management Plan (RMP). The focus of this study was to investigate reasons that the RMP has not been successful, from the perspective of the rangeland holders. The data were collected using open-ended interviews. The data analysis indicated that the primary barriers to the successful implementation of the RMP are quite well matched with the description of the ‘diffusion of innovations’ theory. The three characteristics of the RMP innovation, including the lack of high relative advantages, incompatible structure of the RMP with the traditional rules, and lack of observability of short-term benefits from the RMP, were realised as the main barriers to the success of the RMP adoption. An additional concern for the rangeland holders was drought, which they felt was not adequately addressed or dealt with in the RMP. Lastly, the government’s failure to fulfil the initial commitments of the RMP, for instance financial supports, has resulted in a loss of confidence of rangeland holders in the enforcement agency and governmental policies.
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LaFlamme, Michael. "A framework for sustainable rangeland livelihoods." Rangeland Journal 33, no. 4 (2011): 339. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/rj11023.
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Natural environments around the world shape their human residents, whose land management practices in turn shape their natural environments. The trial-and-error process of learning how to live within a human-environment system is costly for lands and for people. However, groups who have lived in the same type of place over long periods of time have often developed similar practices. For 20 years, sustainable livelihood frameworks have been used to identify those effective practices and to make them clear to others. I developed the Sustainable Rangeland Framework (SRF) by comparing scientific reports, pastoral management plans, Aboriginal experiences and government programs to identify how very different rangeland landholders could work together to benefit our human-environment system. The SRF focuses on ways to build valuable assets. I found that all groups described six similar categories of assets: landscape, biodiversity, flexibility, skill, information and networks. Land managers use their assets to develop strategies that increase sustainability and reduce vulnerability to risk. The SRF helps land managers visualise how each decision balances productivity and vulnerability in the context of ecological, economic and social variability. I provide a set of six measures for groups to evaluate the effectiveness of their strategies in building stronger assets. Because the SRF clarifies the learning process and highlights the benefits of collaboration, rangeland groups can use this model to work together to develop more secure lives in our increasingly unpredictable environment.
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Diogo, Rodrigue Vivien Cao, Luc Hippolyte Dossa, Sèyi Fridaïus Ulrich Vanvanhossou, Badirou Dine Abdoulaye, Kossi Hélliot Dosseh, Marcel Houinato, Eva Schlecht, and Andreas Buerkert. "Farmers’ and Herders’ Perceptions on Rangeland Management in Two Agroecological Zones of Benin." Land 10, no. 4 (April 16, 2021): 425. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/land10040425.
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The sustainable use of rangelands in pastoral areas requires the inclusion of all stakeholders to develop sound management strategies. However, the role of these actors in the sustainable management of natural resources is still poorly understood. The present study aims to (i) assess the perception of farmers and herders of the risks and opportunities of transhumance on rangeland resource use and management, and to (ii) generate useful knowledge for the design and implementation of policies that favor the coexistence of these actors and reduce competition over rangeland resources use in Benin. To this end, interviews were conducted with 240 crop farmers and herders using a semi-structured questionnaire in two contrasting agroecological zones in the northern (Kandi) and the southern (Kétou) part of the country. Among the respondents, 64% of farmers in the North were agro-pastoralists (owning 10.6 ha of land and 10.7 cattle) and 36% were herders (keeping 45.8 cattle and cultivating about 3.7 ha of land). They perceived that communal rangelands were entirely degraded. In the South, 36% of respondents were agro-pastoralists (with 0.3 cattle and farming 4 ha of land) and 64% cattle herders (raising 45.3 cattle and farming 0.9 ha of land only). Of the herders, 50% kept cattle for more than 20 years, while agro-pastoralists had no previous experience in cattle herding. Cultivation practices among crop farmers, such as high use of mineral fertilization (23.8%) and bush fires for land clearing (22.5%), were reported in Kandi (North) and Kétou (South) as factors that might contribute to land degradation. However, these farmers perceived transhumance as a threat to the sustainable use of natural resources. In contrast, herders perceived transhumance as an opportunity to valorize unused land and increase the availability of manure to cropland. The prevalent negative attitude of crop farmers regarding transhumant herders increases the vulnerability of cattle herding in both regions. There is an urgent need of raising awareness concerning the mutual benefits provided by the coexistence of crop farmers with herders to promote participative rangeland management strategies. This may contribute towards coping with the current challenges of food insecurity and increasing climate variability as well as to reducing recurrent conflicts in the region.
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Robinson, Nathaniel P., Matthew O. Jones, Alvaro Moreno, Tyler A. Erickson, David E. Naugle, and Brady W. Allred. "Rangeland Productivity Partitioned to Sub-Pixel Plant Functional Types." Remote Sensing 11, no. 12 (June 15, 2019): 1427. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/rs11121427.
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Understanding and monitoring the dynamics of rangeland heterogeneity through time and across space is critical for the effective management and conservation of rangeland systems and the sustained supply of the ecosystem goods and services they provide. Conventional approaches (both field-based and remote sensing) to monitoring rangeland productivity fail to effectively capture important aspects of this heterogeneity. While field methods can effectively capture high levels of detail at fine spatial and temporal resolutions, they are limited in their applicability and scalability to larger spatial extents and longer time periods. Alternatively, remote sensing based approaches that scale broad spatiotemporal extents simplify important heterogeneity occurring at fine scales. We address these limitations to monitoring rangeland productivity by combining a continuous plant functional type (PFT) fractional cover dataset with a Landsat derived gross primary production (GPP) and net primary production (NPP) model. Integrating the annual PFT dataset with a 16-day Landsat normalized difference vegetation (NDVI) composite dataset enabled us to disaggregate the pixel level NDVI values to the sub-pixel PFTs. These values were incorporated into the productivity algorithm, enabling refined estimations of 16-day GPP and annual NPP for the PFTs that composed each pixel. We demonstrated the results of these methods on a set of representative rangeland sites across the western United States. Partitioning rangeland productivity to sub-pixel PFTs revealed new dynamics and insights to aid the sustainable management of rangelands.
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Heitschmidt, RK, and JW Walker. "Grazing Management: Technology for Sustaining Rangeland Ecosystems?" Rangeland Journal 18, no. 2 (1996): 194. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/rj9960194.
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This paper examines the ecological, economic, and social aspects of grazing management technology as it relates to sustaining rangeland ecosystems. We adopt FAO's definition of sustainable agriculture, that is, 'The management and conservation of the resource base and the orientation of technological and institutional changes in such a manner as to insure the attainment and continued satisfaction of human needs for present and future generations. Such sustainable development is environmentally non-degrading, technically appropriate, economically viable and socially acceptable." We explore the ecological aspects of grazing management as they relate to the need to balance solar energy capture and harvest efficiency so as to maximize productivity on a sustained basis. The long- term success or failure of all grazing strategies hinges around management's ability to control the frequency and severity of defoliation of individual plants over time and space. This is a particularly formidable challenge in rangeland environments because of high levels of environmental uncertainty. We then focus attention on the social aspects of grazing management. Grazing management is a social process by virtue of its human component and the major social dilemma encountered in grazed agroecosystems centers around the impacts that ever-increasing human desires have on rangeland resources. We examine the role of ecological economics and the impact of varying human value systems on management of rangeland resources. The fundamental problem encountered in the management of natural resources such as rangeland ecosystems is absence of perfect ecological knowledge. We conclude that the major social dilemma of grazing management stems largely from two phenomena: 1) supply side management tactics designed to meet ever increasing human demands; and 2) potential failure to accurately factor long-term ecological costs into present day value systems. As such, we conclude that current grazing management technology necessarily requires moderate rates of stocking be employed to insure rangeland agriculture (i.e. grazing) is ecologically sound, economically viable, and socially acceptable.
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Munn, A. J., T. J. Dawson, S. R. McLeod, D. B. Croft, M. B. Thompson, and C. R. Dickman. "Field metabolic rate and water turnover of red kangaroos and sheep in an arid rangeland: an empirically derived dry-sheep-equivalent for kangaroos." Australian Journal of Zoology 57, no. 1 (2009): 23. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/zo08063.
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Sustainable management of pastures requires detailed knowledge of total grazing pressure, but this information is critically lacking in Australia’s rangelands where livestock co-occur with large herbivorous marsupials. We present the first comparative measure of the field metabolic rate (an index of food requirement) of Australia’s largest marsupial, the red kangaroo (Macropus rufus), with that of domestic sheep (Ovis aries; merino breed). We tested the assumption that the grazing pressure of red kangaroos is equivalent to 0.7 sheep, and show this to be a two-fold overestimation of their contribution to total grazing. Moreover, kangaroos had extraordinarily lower rates of water turnover, being only 13% that of sheep. Consequently, our data support arguments that the removal of kangaroos may not markedly improve rangeland capacity for domestic stock. Furthermore, given the low resource requirements of kangaroos, their use in consumptive and non-consumptive enterprises can provide additional benefits for Australia’s rangelands than may occur under traditional rangeland practices.
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Croft, DB. "Sustainable use of wildlife in western New South Wales: Possibilities and problems." Rangeland Journal 22, no. 1 (2000): 88. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/rj0000088.
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Sustainable use of wildlife has become equated with exploitation of animal products (meat, skin or feathers) and/or removal of wild progenitors into the pet trade. This consumption of the wildlife is therefore largely ex situ and so removes nutrients and energy from the rangelands. Demand for lethal or a removal action is often driven by the severity of the perceived conflict between the wildlife and other enterprises, especially agriculture, rather than for the resulting products. Such uses also raise community concerns about humane treatment of animals and a valuing of the natural heritage. Wildlife-based tourism, as part of the valuable and growing nature-based or ecotourism industry in Australia, is an in situ use that may be a more ecologically sustainable and economically twble option for use of rangeland wildlife. This paper examines these possibilities and their problems with a focus on the commercial kangaroo industry and the use of arid-zone mammals, birds and reptiles for pets. It provides new evidence that wildlife-tourism based on free-living kangaroos in the rangelands is both feasible and in demand. This industry should be given advocacy in the on-going debate on the management and future of the rangelands. Key words: kangaroos, wildlife management, wildlife tourism, game harvesting
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Hosseininia, G., H. Azadi, K. Zarafshani, D. Samari, and F. Witlox. "Sustainable rangeland management: Pastoralists' attitudes toward integrated programs in Iran." Journal of Arid Environments 92 (May 2013): 26–33. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jaridenv.2013.01.003.
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Woinarski, J. C. Z., and A. Fisher. "Conservation and the maintenance of biodiversity in the rangelands." Rangeland Journal 25, no. 2 (2003): 157. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/rj03013.
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There has been substantial loss of biodiversity in the Australian rangelands, and evidence suggests that the attrition is continuing. We argue that rangeland users should be more aware of, and concerned about, this problem: that we are sullying an international asset; that we are undermining the basis of a major rangeland industry, tourism; that we are sabotaging the potential for the development of alternative rangeland uses (most notably sustainable use of native wildlife); that such losses provide evidence that we are poor managers; that such losses diminish our lives; that such losses indicate that at least some of our environments are operating at reduced functionality; and that such losses take away or reduce important and wide-ranging environmental services. This loss is due to a complex array of factors, each affecting different components of biodiversity in different ways. Our responses are generally poorly coordinated across rangeland jurisdictions, and there is uncertainty about responsibilities across different land tenures. Given the diffuse but pervasive nature of the problem and the generally poorly coordinated and non-strategic current response, we suggest that biodiversity conservation needs to be far more clearly and systematically operationalised, that a clear goal for biodiversity conservation in the rangelands (maintenance of viable populations of all native species of plants and animals at appropriate spatial and temporal scales) needs to be developed, and that, from this, the community needs to set explicit targets relating to this goal, at continental, jurisdiction, regional and property scales. While we recognise that our existing knowledge base is imperfect, such limitation should not delay the implementation of these steps. We consider that there is sufficient management expertise to realise a rangeland biodiversity goal. However, there are two more serious impediments in achieving the goal: current lack of resources and of societal agreement.
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Waters, C. M., S. E. McDonald, J. Reseigh, R. Grant, and D. G. Burnside. "Insights on the relationship between total grazing pressure management and sustainable land management: key indicators to verify impacts." Rangeland Journal 41, no. 6 (2019): 535. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/rj19078.
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Demonstrating sustainable land management (SLM) requires an understanding of the linkages between grazing management and environmental stewardship. Grazing management practices that incorporate strategic periods of rest are promoted internationally as best practice. However, spatial and temporal trends in unmanaged feral (goat) and native (kangaroo) populations in the southern Australian rangelands can result land managers having, at times, control over less than half the grazing pressure, precluding the ability to rest pastures. Few empirical studies have examined the impacts of total grazing pressure (TGP) on biodiversity and resource condition, while the inability to manage grazing intensity at critical times may result in negative impacts on ground cover, changes in pasture species composition, increased rates of soil loss and reduce the ability for soils to store carbon. The widespread adoption of TGP control through exclusion fencing in the southern Australian rangelands has created unprecedented opportunities to manage total grazing pressure, although there is little direct evidence that this infrastructure leads to more sustainable land management. Here we identify several key indicators that are either outcome- or activity-based that could serve as a basis for verification of the impacts of TGP management. Since TGP is the basic determinant of the impact of herbivory on vegetation it follows that the ability for rangeland pastoral management to demonstrate SLM and environmental stewardship will rely on using evidence-based indicators to support environmental social licence to operate.
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Anderson, Dean M., Rick E. Estell, Jerry L. Holechek, Shanna Ivey, and Geoffrey B. Smith. "Virtual herding for flexible livestock management – a review." Rangeland Journal 36, no. 3 (2014): 205. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/rj13092.
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Free-ranging livestock play a pivotal role globally in the conversion of plant tissue into products and services that support man’s many and changing lifestyles. With domestication came the task of providing livestock with an adequate plane of nutrition while simultaneously managing vegetation for sustainable production. Attempting to meld these two seemingly opposing management goals continues to be a major focus of rangeland research. Demand for multiple goods and services from rangelands today requires that livestock production make the smallest possible ‘negative hoof-print’. Advancements in global navigation satellite system, geographic information systems, and electronic/computing technologies, coupled with improved understanding of animal behaviour, positions virtual fencing (VF) as an increasingly attractive option for managing free-ranging livestock. VF offers an alternative to conventional fencing by replacing physical barriers with sensory cues to control an animal’s forward movement. Currently, audio and electrical stimulation are the cues employed. When VF becomes a commercial reality, manual labour will be replaced in large part with cognitive labour for real-time prescription-based livestock distribution management that is robust, accurate, precise and flexible. The goal is to manage rangeland ecosystems optimally for soils, plants, herbivores in addition to the plant and animal’s microflora. However, maximising the benefits of VF will require a paradigm shift in management by using VF as a ‘virtual herder’ rather than simply as a tool to manage livestock within static physical barriers.
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Hacker, Ronald B., and Yohannes Alemseged. "Incorporating farmed goats into sustainable rangeland grazing systems in southern Australia: a review." Rangeland Journal 36, no. 1 (2014): 25. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/rj13035.
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The recent trend to farming or re-domestication of feral goats poses serious questions for the ecological sustainability of the semiarid and arid rangelands of southern Australia. This paper reviews aspects of the biology and grazing habits of goats, and aspects of the Australian goat industry, relevant to their sustainable management in livestock enterprises. Key factors identified include high fertility and fecundity even under low seasonal rainfall conditions and a generalist feeding strategy. Adverse consequences for rangeland condition can be expected if seasonal or market conditions result in an imbalance between population growth and turnoff, resulting in high grazing pressures. Given the limited control of the reproductive process at the current stage of the development of goat farming, strategies aimed at ensuring continuity of sale of goats (e.g. on-property feed lots or supply chain and market development) will be important in ensuring that imbalances are avoided. Conservative stocking rates and use of seasonal risk management tools are also particularly relevant. The major research and development needs identified by this review, from a resource management perspective, concern the appropriate dry sheep equivalent rating for goat classes based on age, sex and reproductive status, the extent and consequences of heterogeneity of grazing in space, time, and across forage species, and development of means of establishing sustainable stocking rates based on the use of all available forage sources, including browse.
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Taylor, John A., Paul A. Erkelenz, and Amber C. Churchill. "Building human capacity, capability and future leaders for Australia’s rangelands." Rangeland Journal 42, no. 5 (2020): 277. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/rj20052.
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Maintaining a skilled, knowledgeable and adaptable workforce in Australian rangeland enterprises and research, development and extension/adoption (RD&E/A) organisations is a varied and challenging task, compounded by trends of sustained losses of human capacity through senior retirements and short-term appointments over the last decade. Concerns for how to fill these gaps while gaining the skills and knowledge needed for a successful career and leadership roles were raised by students and young professionals in the World Cafe session and throughout Early Career workshops and activities at the 2019 Biennial Conference of the Australian Rangeland Society (ARS). This paper responds to these expressed information needs through drawing on literature, experiences shared by session participants, and existing ARS members currently working in the rangelands in diverse roles to provide insights into two main areas: (i) skills and knowledge for personal development and future success in the rangelands across three broad classes of occupation/careers (i.e. advisors, researchers, and producers), and (ii) skills and knowledge that will be expected of future leaders in the rangelands. We outline a variety of options for professional development in the early stage(s) of a career working on aspects of sustainable production systems and pathways to leadership throughout a career in the rangelands. We note the apparent lack of formal rangeland-specific education in Australia, and suggest that this is a major impediment to efforts to build skills and knowledge to ensure the viability of the livelihoods and the integrity of our rangelands. Finally, we believe that the ARS has the potential to play a more central role in inspiring interest and passion for the rangelands, in providing current information on (i) range science and management-relevant education and training opportunities in Australia and internationally, and (ii) leadership development and training opportunities; and in facilitating and supporting mentoring to develop and retain human capacity for a resilient future.
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Wilcox, DG, and DG Burnside. "Land Administration in the Rangelands: What for, Who for and How?" Rangeland Journal 16, no. 2 (1994): 298. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/rj9940298.
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The path of change in land administration practices from that which had the exploitation of pastoral resources by domestic stock as its principal objective to a position where administration is required to take a more holistic view of the management of rangelands for a wide range of uses is discussed in this paper. Although historically administration has been generally slow to react to changing operating environments, a varying degree of legislative and behavioural changes have occurred in response to a wide range of influences. These influences include: objective information on rangeland resources; complementary legislation affecting the use of these resources; new Government programs directed at improving land management; a developing awareness of the value of rangeland for purposes other than grazing domestic animals; and the economic difficulties facing the grazing industries. With major changes and uncertainties surrounding rangeland use, we suggest that administrators themselves must define their objectives clearly in terms of the needs of all land users, within a framework of sustainable land use. This work can best be done within new networks and partnerships involving the relevant agencies and groups. By defining acceptable criteria and decision rules within these structures, administrators can focus more on the quality of the process in land administration and measuring their performance, rather than regulating for their defined desirable outcome. Finally, we recognise that the evaluation of administrative performance is an area that requires urgent attention.
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Czech, Brian, Rod Heitschmidt, Joel Brown, and Ann Hild. "Sustainable Rangeland Management, Economic Growth, and a Cautious Role for the SRM." Rangelands 30, no. 6 (December 2008): 33–37. http://dx.doi.org/10.2111/1551-501x-30.6.33.
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di Virgilio, Agustina, Juan M. Morales, Sergio A. Lambertucci, Emily L. C. Shepard, and Rory P. Wilson. "Multi-dimensional Precision Livestock Farming: a potential toolbox for sustainable rangeland management." PeerJ 6 (May 30, 2018): e4867. http://dx.doi.org/10.7717/peerj.4867.
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Background Precision Livestock Farming (PLF) is a promising approach to minimize the conflicts between socio-economic activities and landscape conservation. However, its application on extensive systems of livestock production can be challenging. The main difficulties arise because animals graze on large natural pastures where they are exposed to competition with wild herbivores for heterogeneous and scarce resources, predation risk, adverse weather, and complex topography. Considering that the 91% of the world’s surface devoted to livestock production is composed of extensive systems (i.e., rangelands), our general aim was to develop a PLF methodology that quantifies: (i) detailed behavioural patterns, (ii) feeding rate, and (iii) costs associated with different behaviours and landscape traits. Methods For this, we used Merino sheep in Patagonian rangelands as a case study. We combined data from an animal-attached multi-sensor tag (tri-axial acceleration, tri-axial magnetometry, temperature sensor and Global Positioning System) with landscape layers from a Geographical Information System to acquire data. Then, we used high accuracy decision trees, dead reckoning methods and spatial data processing techniques to show how this combination of tools could be used to assess energy balance, predation risk and competition experienced by livestock through time and space. Results The combination of methods proposed here are a useful tool to assess livestock behaviour and the different factors that influence extensive livestock production, such as topography, environmental temperature, predation risk and competition for heterogeneous resources. We were able to quantify feeding rate continuously through time and space with high accuracy and show how it could be used to estimate animal production and the intensity of grazing on the landscape. We also assessed the effects of resource heterogeneity (inferred through search times), and the potential costs associated with predation risk, competition, thermoregulation and movement on complex topography. Discussion The quantification of feeding rate and behavioural costs provided by our approach could be used to estimate energy balance and to predict individual growth, survival and reproduction. Finally, we discussed how the information provided by this combination of methods can be used to develop wildlife-friendly strategies that also maximize animal welfare, quality and environmental sustainability.
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Azadi, Hossein, Jan van den Berg, Mansour Shahvali, and Gholamhossein Hosseininia. "Sustainable rangeland management using fuzzy logic: A case study in Southwest Iran." Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment 131, no. 3-4 (June 2009): 193–200. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2009.01.017.
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Sheley, Roger L., Tony J. Svejcar, and Bruce D. Maxwell. "A Theoretical Framework for Developing Successional Weed Management Strategies on Rangeland." Weed Technology 10, no. 4 (December 1996): 766–73. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0890037x00040793.
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Sustainable rangeland management will require successional strategies to deal with the expanding weed problem. These strategies must be consistent with the view that plant communities are dynamic and technology is used to enhance the natural processes and mechanisms that direct vegetation change. The goal is to shift the dynamics toward a desired plant community. A unified conceptual model is necessary to direct the development and application of successional weed management systems. We propose using a resource management model as a conceptual basis for successional weed management. This model is based on the primary causes of succession: site availability, differential species availability, and differential species performance. This model provides the mechanistic framework necessary for developing successional weed management systems and it is meant to enhance communication among rangeland weed managers and scientists.
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Moritz, Mark, Kristen Ritchey, and Saïdou Kari. "The social context of herding contracts in the Far North Region of Cameroon." Journal of Modern African Studies 49, no. 2 (April 26, 2011): 263–85. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0022278x11000048.
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ABSTRACTDroughts across Africa have led to a shift in livestock ownership from impoverished pastoralists to absentee owners who contract hired herders to manage their animals. The assumption has been that these contracts are exploitative and negatively affect herd and rangeland management. We conducted an ethnographic study of a mobile pastoral system in the Far North Region of Cameroon to examine whether herding contracts provide sustainable livelihoods and allow herders to rebuild their herds. We found considerable variation in contracts and livelihoods, and argue that the social organisation of herding contracts may explain why they have no negative impact on herd and rangeland management.
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Reed, M. S., L. C. Stringer, A. J. Dougill, J. S. Perkins, J. R. Atlhopheng, K. Mulale, and N. Favretto. "Reorienting land degradation towards sustainable land management: Linking sustainable livelihoods with ecosystem services in rangeland systems." Journal of Environmental Management 151 (March 2015): 472–85. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2014.11.010.
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Ulziibaatar, Munguntuul, and Kenichi Matsui. "Herders’ Perceptions about Rangeland Degradation and Herd Management: A Case among Traditional and Non-Traditional Herders in Khentii Province of Mongolia." Sustainability 13, no. 14 (July 15, 2021): 7896. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su13147896.
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Herders play essential roles in sustaining Mongolia’s economy and rangeland conditions. As about 90% of Mongolia’s livestock grazes on natural pasture, how herders manage it largely affects the future sustainability of the livestock industry. Since Mongolia transformed its grazing practices from communal management into loosely regulated household practices in 1990, overgrazing has become a growing concern. Considering this concern, this paper examines the extent to which traditional and non-traditional herders perceive pasture conditions and practice management. We conducted the questionnaire survey among 120 herders in Murun Soum of Khentii Province and asked about rangeland degradation and their coping strategies. To determine correlations between their perceptions/practices and sociodemographic characteristics, we conducted multiple regression analyses. We found that, overall, most herders identified rangeland conditions degrading and grass yield declining with less plant diversity and more soil damage by Brandt’s vole. Herders’ mobility and herd movement frequency have decreased since 1990, placing more strains on limited pasture areas. In coping with overgrazing, about 20% of the respondents had practiced traditional rangeland management, whereas many others had overlooked pasture conditions and increased goat production as the world’s demand for cashmere rose. In response to our question about herders’ future contribution of their traditional knowledge to sustainable rangeland management, traditional herders demonstrated their willingness to help local officials manage the pasture. This paper then explores how local administrations and herders may collaborate in the future.
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Lu, Hao, Dan Dan Cao, Feng Ma, Shan Shan Wang, Xiao Wen Yang, Wen Long Wang, Qi Wu Zhou, and Bao Yu Zhao. "Characterisation of locoweeds and their effect on livestock production in the western rangelands of China: a review." Rangeland Journal 36, no. 2 (2014): 121. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/rj13105.
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The rangelands of China are an important resource for livestock production, and play a strategic role in maintaining ecosystems and protecting the living environment of humans. Drought, overgrazing, infrastructure development, insufficient investment and poor management of rangelands have led to the invasion and spread of poisonous weeds in these rangelands in recent years. The rapid spread of poisonous weeds over the last few decades have caused a series of ecological problems, including a decrease in biological diversity and consequent desertification, and they are seriously affecting the ecological balance of rangelands, and the sustainable livestock production. Locoweeds, which belong to the genera Oxytropis and Astragalus, are an important species of poisonous legumes in the western rangelands of China, causing large economic losses. This review summarises the species and their ecological distribution, the toxic ingredients, the poisoning mechanism of locoweeds and damage control techniques for locoweeds. It attempts to highlight certain issues relating to research on locoweeds and how they are being tackled in order to understand the significance of locoweeds in preserving ecosystem diversity and the steps that require to be taken to control the spread of locoweeds in the western natural rangeland of China.
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Hou, Xiangyang, Yantin Yin, David Michalk, Xiangjun Yun, Yong Ding, Xiliang Li, and Jizhou Ren. "Herders’ opinions about desirable stocking rates and overstocking in the rangelands of northern China." Rangeland Journal 36, no. 6 (2014): 601. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/rj13040.
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Herders’ desirable stocking rates and their opinions of overstocking were studied using survey and multi-regression methods in the meadow steppe, typical steppe and desert steppe regions of northern China. It was found that individual herders had their own perception of their particular ‘desirable stocking rate’, which referred to the number of livestock that the herders thought they could keep or maintain on an area of rangeland over a specified period of time. These perceptions were not in line with the ‘balancing animals and grass’ policy of the Chinese government, and herders used them as a guide to adjust stock-breeding practices. Most herders admitted that they bred more livestock now than 10 years ago, but insisted that there was no overstocking and many even thought that their rangelands could still carry more livestock. They also held the view that they took into account the carrying capacity of rangelands when making decisions about livestock-breeding practices. Individual herders thought that the reasonable stocking rate range should be 0.75–1.50 sheep units ha–1 (meadow steppe), 0.60–1.50 sheep units ha–1 (typical steppe), and 0.50–0.75 sheep units ha–1 (desert steppe), respectively. The herders from the desert steppe regions were most concerned about the overstocking of rangelands, and the concern of herders was in the order desert steppe > typical steppe > meadow steppe. The herders with more formal education and those who worked in a village council and had smaller areas of rangelands, were more concerned about the overstocking of rangelands. It is argued that such herders should be given more access to policy and market information, including extensive grazing and modern stall-feeding technologies, and encouraged to reduce their desirable stocking rates, leading to more sustainable rangeland management in northern China.
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Bellamy, JA, D. Lowes, AJ Ash, JG Mcivor, and ND Macleod. "A Decision Support Approach to Sustainable Grazing Management for Spatially Heterogeneous Rangeland Paddocks." Rangeland Journal 18, no. 2 (1996): 370. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/rj9960370.
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Public concern for the way land resources are used has led to the introduction of legislation in several Australian States requiring the demonstration of sustainable use of the pastoral resource. However, no practical system of appraisal of sustainability in grazing management systems exists. The common situation facing decision-makers at policy and enterprise levels is one of inadequate, unobtainable or inappropriate data, or systematic indeterminacy. This necessitates erring on the side of caution, through an adaptive integrated approach to decision-making. Such an approach requires: (i) an understanding of the key processes that govern the interactions between livestock, plants, and heterogeneous landscape systems; (ii) the identification of indicators of potential problems in these systems at spatial and temporal scales relevant to human use and management; and (iii) the availability of effective tools to evaluate management options in terms of their risks to the sustainability of the grazing land resource, and the profitability of production. This paper describes a decision support approach to improving our understanding of the complexities of grazing management systems. The paper first proposes an integrated framework for a decision support system (DSS) for evaluating the sustainability of grazing management in terms of the risk of changes to the vegetation and soil resource, and the profitability of production. It then examines an application of a DSS approach, called Landassess DSS, to the tropical woodlands in northern Australia, and discusses the broader implications for sustainable management of extensive native pasture livestock production systems.
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Baumber, Alex, Cathy Waters, Rebecca Cross, Graciela Metternicht, and Marja Simpson. "Carbon farming for resilient rangelands: people, paddocks and policy." Rangeland Journal 42, no. 5 (2020): 293. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/rj20034.
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Carbon farming is a new land use option over extensive areas of the Australian rangelands. This land use change has been promoted by government incentives to mitigate climate change, with most of Australia’s land sector abatement to date being delivered in rangelands. Aside from these mitigation benefits, carbon farming has also demonstrated potential co-benefits that enhance socio-ecological resilience by diversifying land uses and income streams, providing opportunities for sustainable land management to enhance soil and vegetation and creating opportunities for self-organisation and collaboration. However, factors such as policy uncertainty, perceived loss of future land use flexibility and the potential for carbon farming eligibility to create social divisions may negatively affect resilience. In this paper we weigh up these risks, opportunities and co-benefits and propose indicators for measuring the impact of carbon farming on the resilience of rangeland systems. A set of land policy principles for enhancing resilience through carbon farming are also identified.
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Hu, Guozheng, Jocelyn Davies, Qingzhu Gao, and Cunzhu Liang. "Response of ecosystem functions to climate change and implications for sustainable development on the Inner Mongolian Plateau." Rangeland Journal 40, no. 2 (2018): 191. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/rj18041.
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The responses of ecosystem functions in Inner Mongolian grasslands to climate change have implications for ecosystem services and sustainable development. Research published in two previous Special Issues of The Rangeland Journal shows that recent climate change added to overgrazing and other factors caused increased degradation of Inner Mongolian rangelands whereas on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, climate change tended to ameliorate the impacts of overgrazing. Recent climate change on the Mongolian Plateau involved warming with increasingly variable annual precipitation and decreased summer rainfall. Future climate projections are different, involving modest increases in precipitation and further climate warming. Research published in the current Special Issue shows that precipitation is the climate factor that has the most substantial impact on ecosystem functions in this region and is positively correlated with plant species diversity, ecosystem carbon exchange and Normalised Difference Vegetation Index. Increased flows of provisioning and regulating ecosystem services are expected with future climate change indicating that its impacts will be positive in this region. However, spatial heterogeneity in the environments and climates of Inner Mongolia highlights the risk of over-generalising from local-scale studies and indicates the value of increased attention to meta-analysis and regional scale models. The enhanced flows of ecosystem services from climate change may support sustainable development by promoting recovery of degraded grasslands with flow-on benefits for livelihoods and the regional economy. However, realising these potential benefits will depend on sound landscape management and addressing the risk of herders increasing livestock numbers to take advantage of the extra forage available. Investment in education is important to improve local capacity to adapt rangeland management to climate change, as are policies and strategies that integrate social, economic and ecological considerations and are tailored to specific regions. Gaps in understanding that could be addressed through further research on ecosystem functions include; belowground carbon exchange processes; the impact of increased variability in precipitation; and the impact of different management practices under changed climates.
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Eviner, Valerie T., and F. Stuart Chapin. "Plant species provide vital ecosystem functions for sustainable agriculture, rangeland management and restoration." California Agriculture 55, no. 6 (November 2001): 54–60. http://dx.doi.org/10.3733/ca.v055n06p54.
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Li, Zheng, Wentai Zhang, Yilahong Aikebaier, Tong Dong, Guoping Huang, Tao Qu, and Hexin Zhang. "Sustainable Development of Arid Rangelands and Managing Rainwater in Gullies, Central Asia." Water 12, no. 9 (September 10, 2020): 2533. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/w12092533.
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Along with the global climate change, gully erosion, flood and drought jointly restrict the sustainable development of arid rangeland in Central Asia. Rainwater harvesting (RWH) system in gully is a flexible practice that alleviate complex environmental problems. In the Kulusitai watershed of Xinjiang, China, our study presented a decision-making system using GIS combined with multi-criteria analysis and a field survey to identify suitability of gully for RWH. The results showed that nearly 40% of rangeland belonged to high runoff potential area, and gullies as the runoff collection channel became the potential site of RWH. The selection of RWH systems depended on catchment environment and gully characteristics. Therefore, based on the unique natural conditions of Xinjiang and successful RWH cases in other regions, we discussed some suitable low-cost RWH techniques to restore degraded grassland and promote community development. Our study will provide some suggestions for ecological restoration and pasture management in arid regions of Central Asia.
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Khedrigharibvand, Hojatollah, Hossein Azadi, Hosain Bahrami, Zbelo Tesfamariam, AbbasAghajani Bazzazi, Philippe De Maeyer, and Frank Witlox. "Sustainable rangeland management in southwest Iran: application of the AHP-TOPSIS approach in ranking livelihood alternatives." Rangeland Journal 40, no. 6 (2018): 603. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/rj17038.
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This paper reports the continuation of a line of research exploring livelihood alternatives employing sustainable rangeland management (SRM). Determining appropriate alternatives was a multifaceted task, so multi-attribute decision-making (MADM) techniques were applied to a framework that incorporated livelihood alternatives and their relevant criteria. The livelihood alternatives promote balance between humans, livestock and the rangelands, and the livelihood criteria include livelihood capital and vulnerability contexts, as well as the policies, institutions and processes (PIPs) that affect each livelihood alternative and SRM as a whole. The livelihood alternatives were ranked according to SRM potential, and the most appropriate ones for the Bazoft region of south-west Iran were determined. Through a hierarchical process, nine livelihood alternatives were initially considered as being potentially suitable for SRM, based on the weights of predefined criteria. Using a collaborative process, various groups (local informants, local and regional practitioners and scientists) were asked to develop a list of livelihood criteria in order to identify appropriate livelihood alternatives. Initially, 20 experts were selected for undertaking criteria weighting, and subsequently 10 experts were selected to rank the alternatives for final decision-making. The weights of the criteria were determined by the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) technique, and the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) was used to rank the alternatives. A non-resource-based livelihood was ranked as the most suitable alternative, followed by pastoralism with adaptation of various production systems. The application of the AHP-TOPSIS approach showed how criteria weightings influence the suitability of livelihood alternatives. Thus, the livelihood model enabled visualisation of the consequences of appropriate and/or inappropriate livelihoods for SRM. This study found that even the livelihood alternatives with the lowest values were worthy of consideration in planning for SRM, but they might need to be supported. Finally, the study suggested that the application of decision support models to the identification of users’ livelihood alternatives and to structuring the criteria for adoption of the various alternatives enhances informed decision-making within the context of SRM.
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Bayaraa, Batbileg, Byambasuren Damdin, and Ser-Od Baatar. "Assessment of rangeland condition." Mongolian Journal of Agricultural Sciences 29, no. 1 (April 30, 2020): 150–56. http://dx.doi.org/10.5564/mjas.v29i1.1384.
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There is a substantial gap in the studies on classifications of rangeland condition in the Mongolian context. To fill this gap, this study aimed at assessing the condition and changes of rangeland in the forest-steppe zone in Mongolia with the use of remote sensing technique. The Bornuur soum of Tuv aimag in Mongolia was selected as the study area. A quantitative methodology with remote sensing tool was employed to assess rangeland condition. The results of the study showed an overall accuracy of 73.9%. The study provided an insight into possible improving methodology of rangeland monitoring, sustainable land management as well as environmental studies.
Бэлчээрийн төлөв байдлыг үнэлэх зарим арга
Монгол орны хувьд зайнаас тандан судлалын арга технологийг ашиглан газрын бүрхэвч болон газар ашиглалтын ангилал, өөрчлөлтийг үнэлэх судалгаа түгээмэл байгаа ч тус аргыг ашиглан бэлчээрийн төлөв байдлыг үнэлсэн судалгаа ховорхон хийгдсэн байна. Иймээс ойт хээрийн бүс болох Төв аймгийн Борнуур сумын жишээгээр зайнаас тандах аргаар бэлчээрийн төлөв байдлыг n=700 цэгийн хээрийн судалгааг ашиглан үнэлсэн. Судалгааны үр дүнг хээрийн хэмжилтийн мэдээгээр үнэлэхэд таарцын үнэлгээ нь 73.9% гарсан нь цаашид бэлчээрийн төлөв байдлын судалгаанд ашиглах боломжтойг харуулж байна. Цаашид тус ангиллын аргыг улам сайжруулан бэлчээрийн төлөв байдлын үнэлгээ, мониторинг, тогтвортой газрын менежмент болон байгаль орчны судалгаанд хэрэглэж болно.
Түлхүүр үг: ургамлын индекс, ландсат хиймэл дагуулын мэдээ
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Ash, AJ, and DMS Smith. "Evaluating Stocking Rate Impacts in Rangelands: Animals Don't Practice What We Preach." Rangeland Journal 18, no. 2 (1996): 216. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/rj9960216.
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paper session 29: Molecular biology - forage quality. In: Proc. XVII International Grassland Congress, pp. 1105-6. Keeling and Mundy Ltd., Palmerston North, New Zealand. United States Department of Agriculture. (1980). Report and recommendations on organic farming. U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC. VanTassel, L. W., Heitschmidt, R.K. and Conner, J.R. (1987). Modeling variation in range calf growth under conditions of environmental uncertainty. J. Range. Manage. 40: 310-4. Walker, B.H. (1993). Stability in rangelands: ecology and economics. In: Proc. XW International Grassland Congress, pp. 1885-90. Keeling and Mundy Ltd., Palmerston North, New Zealand. Walker, J.W. (1994). Multispecies grazing: the ecological advantage. Sheep Res. J. Special Issue: 52-64. Walker, A.B., Frizelle, J.A. and Morris, S.D. (1994). The New Zealand policy framework for sustainable agriculture and some implications for animal production research. Proc. N. Z. Soc. Anim Prod. 54: 369-72. Walker, J.W., Heitschmidt, R.K., DeMoraes, E.A., Kothmann, M.M. and Dowhower, S.L. (1989). Quality and botanical composition of cattle diets under rotational and continuous grazing treatments. J. Range Manage . 42: 239-42. Whitson, R.E., Heitschmidt, R.K., Kothmann, M.M. and Lundgren, G.K. (1982). The impact of grazing systems on the magnitude and stability of ranch income in the Rolling Plains of Texas. J. Range Manage .35: 526-32. Wight, J.R. and Hanson, C.L. (1993). Simulation models as decision aids for management of rangeland ecosystems. In: Proc. XVII International Grassland Congress, pp. 770-1. Keeling and Mundy Ltd., Palmerston North, New Zealand. Wilson, A.D., Harrington, G.N. and Beale, I.F. (1984). Grazing management. In: Management of Australia's rangelands (Eds G.N. Harrington, A.D. Wilson and M.D. Young) pp. 129-40. Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, Australia. Wood, W.R. and Thiessen, T.D. (Eds) (1985). Early fur trade on the Northern Plains: the narratives of John Macdonnell, David Thompson, Francois-Antoine Laraocque and Charles McKenzie. University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, Oklahoma. Manuscript received 4 April 1996, accepted 30 July 1996. Rangel. J. 18(2) 1996, 216-43 EVALUATING STOCKING RATE IMPACTS IN RANGELANDS: ANIMALS DON'T PRACTICE WHAT WE PREACH A.J. Ash1 and D.M. Stafford Smith2 'CSIRO Division of Tropical Crops and Pastures, PMB, Aitkenvale, Qld 4814 2CSIR0 Division of Wildlife and Ecology, PO Box 2111, Alice Springs, NT 0871 Abstract Stocking rate is the most important management variable affecting productivity and stability in rangelands. In this paper we examine the relevance of stocking rate research to the complex and highly variable ecosystems that make up most rangeland enterprises. We review a number of stocking rate experiments that have been conducted in both rangelands and more intensively grazed, improved pastures and demonstrate a fundamental difference in the nature of the stocking rate - animal production relationship between the two environments. Animal production in rangelands is less sensitive to increases in utilisation rate than in improved pastures, at least in the short to medium time frame of most experiments. These differences can largely be explained by factors relating to the much greater spatial and temporal variability of rangelands such as: inter-annual and seasonal fluctuations in vegetation composition and quality; long-term vegetation changes; and spatial and temporal patterns of diet selection in complex vegetation. Together, these factors limit the application of linear stocking rate models to complex rangeland environments for prediction of animal production responses. We suggest that dynamic simulation models, which incorporate the spatial and temporal variability of rangelands, may be the best way of developing simple but useful management principles for setting stocking rates that are more appropriate than simplified regression relationships.
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Carriazo, Fernando, Ricardo Labarta, and Francisco J. Escobedo. "Incentivizing sustainable rangeland practices and policies in Colombia’s Orinoco region." Land Use Policy 95 (June 2020): 104203. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2019.104203.
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Khedrigharibvand, Hojatollah, Hossein Azadi, Dereje Teklemariam, Ataollah Ebrahimi, Elham Omidzadeh Ardali, Veronique Van Acker, Veerle Van Eetvelde, Philippe De Maeyer, and Frank Witlox. "Sustainable Rangeland Management in Southwest Iran: Understanding Changes in Experts’ Attitudes Toward Livelihood Alternatives." Rangeland Ecology & Management 72, no. 3 (May 2019): 433–45. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.rama.2019.01.005.
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Oliva, Gabriel, Daniela Ferrante, Silvina Puig, and Marcos Williams. "Sustainable sheep management using continuous grazing and variable stocking rates in Patagonia: a case study." Rangeland Journal 34, no. 3 (2012): 285. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/rj12016.
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Adaptive rangeland management based on continuous grazing by sheep was implemented at Los Pozos station, on the Magellan tussock steppes of southern Patagonia, between 1990 and 2010. The numbers of sheep were adjusted annually following a stocking strategy tracking the herbage mass. Herbage mass was assessed by harvesting short grass species at peak herbage mass and grazing capacity was estimated based on sheep requirements. Historic production records under a traditional continuous grazing management (1930–89) were contrasted with those of the adaptive management period (1990–2010). Stocking rates of 0.59 sheep ha–1 year–1 in the period from 1930 to 1989 dropped to 0.35 sheep ha–1 year–1 in the adaptive management period. Mean herbage mass of short grasses during this latter period was 194 ± 12 kg DM ha–1 and the stubble height of the key species, Poa spiciformis, was 24 ± 0.7 mm. Lamb marking rates and extraction rates increased from 72 to 87%, and from 28 to 48%, respectively, under adaptive management when compared with historic management, and historic levels of sheep sales were maintained: 4405 v. 4602 animals year–1. Wool production fell from 36 102 to 26 771 kg year–1. Annual sheep production under adaptive management was less variable, as the annual coefficient of variation fell by 41% for lambing rates, by 25.8% for wool production, and by 40% for sheep extraction rates, compared with historic records, even though the inter-annual rainfall coefficient of variation increased by 25% over the same period. It is concluded that, under adaptive management, herbage production, stubble height and sheep production remained stable over 20 years. The adaptive strategy allowed a stabilisation of production and is a potentially valuable management tool in view of the expected increase in variability of rainfall predicted by global climate models for Patagonia and other rangeland areas.
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Hou, Xiang-Yang, Ying Han, and Frank Yonghong Li. "The perception and adaptation of herdsmen to climate change and climate variability in the desert steppe region of northern China." Rangeland Journal 34, no. 4 (2012): 349. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/rj12013.
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The herdsmen in the desert steppe region in Northern China live primarily on the native rangelands. The semiarid climate has a profound impact on the economy and the livelihood of rural communities. Adaptation to the highly variable climate is the norm in pastoral management in the region but the increasing aridity and variability projected by climate change models provides new challenges for sustainable living in the harsh environment. The study surveyed the herdsmen’s perception of climate change and variability in the desert steppe region of Inner Mongolia, and compared it with the observed climatic patterns and the recorded disastrous climatic events. The existing rangeland and livestock management strategies used by local herdsmen to cope with variable climate were also investigated in order to assist in the development of better management adaptation strategies. The herdsman perceived temperature changes over the past 30 years, which matched well with the meteorological observations, while their perceived change in precipitation (decrease) did not agree with the meteorological records (no change). The discrepancy between the observed and perceived precipitation changes may have arisen from the combination of large seasonal and inter-annual fluctuation of precipitation, more recent drought years and a herdsmen’s desire to have a ‘wet year’, and more forage demand from increased livestock numbers. Herdsmen also had a reasonably good perception of strong wind/dust storms and snow storms, and their sensitivity to these extreme disastrous climatic events appeared to be related to the perception of drought. The herdsmen had better perceptions of recent short-term climate change and possibly to use it to assess the long-term changes. The major adaptive management strategies to cope with disastrous climatic events included selling livestock, buying feed, seeking other grazing resources, housing livestock and looking for other alternative jobs to compensate for the economic loss. Grazing other resources, either the reserved winter rangelands in the growing season in current household farm systems or the common winter rangelands in a traditional nomadic system, played a vital role in buffering the effects of extreme climatic events. Setting appropriate stocking rates and growing forage crops in suitable land areas may contribute to increasing the resilience of rangeland systems. Raising the herdsmen’s awareness of long-term climate change and its effects on rangelands is needed to improve their preparedness to adapt to the future climate.