How is desertification related to rangeland management?
How is desertification related to rangeland management?
Rangeland management sometimes produces unintended outcomes, and one frequently cited result of mismanagement by pastoralists is overgrazing, leading to a loss of vegetation cover and accelerated soil erosion, two common forms of land degradation, or desertification as it is known in drylands (Middleton and Thomas 1997 …
What is rangeland degradation?
Rangelands degradation is associated with a decline of the carrying capacity of these ecosystems, a decline of pasture availability and palatability, and high rate of soil erosion.
How do you maintain rangelands?
Strategies such as removal of undesirable plant species (e.g. mechanical, chemical, biological control methods), seeding desirable plants that compete with undesirable species, and using tools such as grazing or prescribed fire as means for restoration.
What is the importance of rangeland?
Rangelands may very well represent the last frontier of clean air to breathe and space to play. Rangelands are a natural renewable resource and they can be managed ecologically and be made to remain productive and environmentally stable forever and ever.
How is rangeland used?
Globally rangelands are used to raise livestock for food and fiber, harvest renewable and non-renewable energy and mineral resources, provide habitat for wildlife, and open space for human enjoyment and recreation. …
What countries are affected by desertification?
These regions – representing around 14 million hectares – show high sensitivity to desertification. Thirteen Member States have declared themselves affected by desertification under UNCCD: Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Malta, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain.
Why are rangelands so important?
Importance of Rangelands and Grasslands Rangelands, primarily covered by natural vegetation, provide grazing and forage for livestock and wildlife. The fertile soil that characterizes many grasslands make the areas well suited to cultivating crops.
What are the threats to rangelands?
A ubiquitous threat to rangelands is encroachment by non-native, invasive species, some of which benefit from increased levels of atmospheric CO2. Higher in biomass than most native species, invasives greatly increase the threat of wildfire.
Can desertification be reversed on rangelands?
Desertification can be reversed on most rangelands through increasing livestock numbers while planning their concentration and movement carefully. At Savory Institute, we call this Holistic Planned Grazing.
How does rangeland degradation affect streamflow?
Rangeland degradation, in the form of desertification, woody species encroachment, and nonnative invasion appears to be affecting regional streamflow, and may ultimately affect the global water cycle (Wilcox, 2007 ). Numerous examples are available, but sustained monitoring is needed to determine trends.
What does it mean when land is desertified?
In other words, land is desertified when it can no longer support the same plant growth it had in the past, and the change is permanent on a human time scale. Many things can cause desertification. Drought, overgrazing, fire, and deforestation can thin out vegetation, leaving exposed soil.
How does overfarming cause desertification?
Overfarming or drought can change the soil so that rain no longer penetrates, and the plants lose the water they need to grow. If the changing force is lifted—drought ends or cattle are removed, for example—but the land cannot recover, it is desertified.
