Rangelands: Problems and management options (original) (raw)

Rangeland Condition and the Appropriate Rangeland Management Methods

Tarım Bilimleri Dergisi, 2020

Improvement, development and proper exploitation of current rangelands conditions and selecting a range management method (balanced, natural and, artificial) to be implemented in the form of a range management plan (RMP). Data was collected from the rangelands of Haraz River watershed. Information including the total percentage of vegetation and each of the increasing species, rangeland condition and production were studied in 2016. To determine the best range management method, the analysis of variance was used. To compare the quantitative characteristics measured before and after the implementation, a two-sample independent t-test was used. Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare qualitative characteristics. Results showed that the vegetation percentage of palatable species composition did not increase, the balanced and natural methods were the best methods in good and fair rangeland condition. The reason for the lack of increase in the number of palatable species was the unsuccessful implementation of planned programs in RMPs. The artificial method was performed in the RMPs with poor vegetation types, the implementation of these plans had no significant effect on the rangeland condition of the study rangelands due to the high livestock population. Rangeland plans will be more effective when there is a balance between grazing capacity and livestock population.

Rangeland Ecosystem Services in the Hindu Kush Himalayan Region

here are rangelands in most parts of the world, and wherever they exist, they are important for the national economy, environment, and cultural heritage. Globally, more than 120 million pastoralists rely on more than 5 billion hectares of rangelands for their livelihoods. The geographic extent and resources of the rangelands make their proper use and management essential. While traditional management practices were sustainable, increasing pressure on land and inappropriate management and development policies are now causing degradation. Rangelands produce a wide variety of goods such as forage for livestock grazing, wildlife habitat, mineral resources, and other products. Many of these tangible benefits are well known. Other services of rangeland ecosystems, such as carbon sequestration and storage, storage and regulation of water, maintaining landscape beauty, and maintaining biodiversity, are less known. This paper discusses the key ecosystem services provided by rangelands in the Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region, their benefits, and their economic value to in situ and downstream communities. Based on a review of the literature and selected case studies, we discuss major constraints and opportunities in the management of the rangelands in the region. Recommendations are made in relation to the valuation of rangeland ecosystem services, a PES (payment for ecosystem services) approach, transboundary collaboration, policy support, capacity building, and knowledge sharing.

Rangeland biodiversity status, challenges and

Journal of Rangeland Science (JRS), 2023

Rangeland biodiversity is a multidimensional spectacle that includes the diversity of organisms, genetic differences among them and the communities, ecosystems, and landscape patterns. The variety of biodiversity life and processes is essential for moral, aesthetic and economic reasons. This review aimed to combine the earlier works on rangeland biodiversity: status, challenges and opportunities. Despite being less suited for crop cultivation, rangelands with low and variable precipitation, rocky topography, poor drainage, or harsh temperatures offer feed and water for free-ranging wild and domestic animals, as well as timber and mineral resources. Rangelands often have shallow soils, little rainfall, and slowly cycling nutrients. Habitat destruction and fragmentation, alien invasive species invasion, climate change, the incidence of accidental fire, prolonged drought, overgrazing, poor coordination among various disciplines and implementation schemes are the current critical challenges of rangeland biodiversity. Community-based management systems and participatory approaches, managing invasive species and rangeland rehabilitation, sustainable and integrated rangeland management practices, building resilience for rangeland resource dynamics, the presence of indigenous knowledge and donor support are the main opportunities for the improvement of rangeland biodiversity. Therefore, it was concluded that the current rangeland biodiversity was drastically shrinking and degrading. This suggests an urgent need for rangeland management strategies that promote biodiversity conservation

Review A Review on Rangeland Management in Pakistan, Bottlenecks and Recommendations

Biological Sciences - PJSIR, 2018

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...

Degradation of Arid Rangelands in Thar Desert, India: A Review

Arid Land Research and Management, 2004

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Status of rangeland resources and challenges for its improvement in Nepal: A review

2010

Rangeland comprises about 11.5% of the total land resources of Nepal. The livelihood of the Himalayan people depends on rangeland-based livestock farming in Nepal. Rangelands are extensive in high altitude areas and Over 98% are located in high mountains and Himalayan regions. In above 2500m altitude, the contribution of rangelands to livestock feed supply is more than 65%. Major rangelands vegetations are tropical (such as Phragmites-, Saccharum-and Imperata-type), subtropical (Themeda-and Arundinella-type), temperate (Andropogon-type), sub-alpine (Danthonia-type), alpine (Kobresia-type) and steppe. The production and productivity of rangelands are very low, ranging from 0.12 to 3.2 mt dry matter (DM)/ha. Only 64% of the rangelands are accessible. Most of the rangelands are overstocked and severely grazed out. The estimated carrying capacity ranges from 0.06 to 1.4 livestock units (LU)/ha. The stocking rate on rangelands is very highup to 37 times the carrying capacity. Indigenous techniques for rangeland management are not keeping pace with the increased livestock population. The traditionally practiced transfrontier pasturing between Tibet and Nepal has been stopped by the Tibetan/Chinese Government for Nepalese migratory herds effective from 1990, which compelled the Nepal Government to initiate various rangeland development activities to meet the feed supply for Himalayan herds. Until now, only 0.5% of the total rangelands of the high Himalayan regions have been improved. Major challenges on rangeland development/management are ownership/users' rights, illegal occupation of community rangelands as a private property, lack of basic information on rangelands, deteriorating conditions of rangelands and associated forests, poor infrastructure facilities, remoteness, ad hoc collection of grazing fees, lack of correlation between stocking rate versus carrying capacity, community awareness, lack of support services, invasion of rangelands, poor stakeholder participation, poor research and extension, high cost of development and poor supply/production of planting materials. The rangeland improvement programmes should be continued to improve the livestock-based livelihoods of the Himalayan community. Recently, Nepal has been transformed from a monarchy to a republic, and the Himalayan community are also aware of the poor situation and are demanding an equal share in developmental activities, and action should be taken to resolve the Himalayan problems through establishing a Himalayan Rangeland Board immediately.

Development of Rangeland Conservation and Sustainable Management Practices Under Changing Climate

Managing Plant Production Under Changing Environment

Rangeland plays an important role for the agroecosystem. They preserve the biodiversity and some of the plant species that are used for the medicines. Worldwide rangelands absorb 30% of the globally carbon. But due to increase in the population and change in the climate is causing the destruction of the rangelands. When population increases it requires more food and other resources. A good management system helps to reduce soil erosion. Due to the current climate scenario, the government of Pakistan focuses on the conservation of the rangelands and requires proper management plans policies. Rangeland policies and implementations are necessary for the sustainable management. As we cannot cope with the climatic variations but we can make better plans to protect the rangelands and their habitats. Degradation of the rangelands not only affects the direct users, but it also affects the environmental services. This article deals with the significance and conservation of the rangelands. The article also deals with sustainable management plans under the changing climate conditions and the effects of climate change on the rangelands are also described. Besides this, other factors which are affecting the productivity of the rangelands are also discussed in the article. But the conservation of the rangelands, making of a sustainable management plans, and implementation strategies is a difficult task for a developing country with a low economic status.

Rangeland degradation and restoration: A global perspective

Rangelands are lands on which the indigenous vegetation is predominantly grasses, grass-like plants, forbs, or shrubs and are managed as a natural ecosystem. They include grasslands, savannas, shrublands, deserts, tundras, marshes, and meadows. Globally, rangelands comprise the largest land use, estimated to cover about 25% of Earth's land surface. This makes them an essential resource for both maintaining environmental services like biodiversity conservation and as a source of livelihood, especially for rural communities. Rangelands are used primarily as a source of feed for livestock. They, however, provide other secondary resources such as firewood, wild foods, medicinal plants, and water. Land degradation is the major challenge in the rangelands of the earth. Rangeland degradation is occurring as a result of no grazing management plans, removal of vegetation for fuel wood and no clear authority of rangeland ownership. The major indicators of rangelands degradation are shift in species composition, loss of range biodiversity, reduction in biomass production, less plant cover, low small ruminant productivity, and soil erosion. Major changes in rangeland surface morphology and soil characteristics have a drastic effect on the primary productivity of the rangeland ecosystem, and in turn on livestock production. The condition of the grazing area is influenced principally by herbivore species, densities and landscape structure. Population densities of grazing animals and intensity of their foraging can determine some rangeland dynamics. It determines whether herbivore increases nutrient cycling and plant productivity or affects plant communities by driving changes in successional pathways decreasing nutrient cycling, and influencing biodiversity of those communities. Management of rangeland degradation can be divided into preventative and restoration measures. Answers to preventative measures can often be found within the causes of land degradation. In view of the massive scale of land degradation, restoration is of significant importance to land owners.

Conserving biodiversity of community forests and rangelands of a hot arid region of India

Land Use Policy, 2011

Community forests/rangelands, called Orans and Gauchars in the western arid part of India, constitute a significant proportion of the total geographical area of the region. Given the economic importance of these areas from time immemorial, the local people took special care to protect and sustainably utilize these common property resources. However, these forests and rangelands have suffered severe degradation in the recent past. Rehabilitation of Orans and Gauchars needs proper planning and execution of a technically feasible package, tailored to suit their unique edaphic, climatic, vegetation, social and legal status. Keeping in view the vast potential of these areas to sustain large scale livestock farming for overall economic upliftment of the local population, there is an urgent need to rehabilitate these degraded areas in an efficient and cost-effective manner. Salient problems faced by these natural assets of western Rajasthan and strategies for their rehabilitation have been discussed in the paper.