Plant species provide vital ecosystem functions for sustainable agriculture, rangeland management and restoration

Plant species provide vital ecosystem functions for sustainable agriculture, rangeland management and restoration

Is rangeland agriculture sustainable?

The objective of this paper is to examine the sustainability of rangeland agriculture (i.e., managed grazing) on a world-wide basis, with a focus on North America. Sustainability is addressed on three fronts: 1) ecological, 2) economic, and 3) social acceptance. Based on previous and on-going research, we suggest that employment of science-based rangeland grazing management strategies and tacti...

Reorienting land degradation towards sustainable land management: linking sustainable livelihoods with ecosystem services in rangeland systems.

This paper identifies new ways of moving from land degradation towards sustainable land management through the development of economic mechanisms. It identifies new mechanisms to tackle land degradation based on retaining critical levels of natural capital whilst basing livelihoods on a wider range of ecosystem services. This is achieved through a case study analysis of the Kalahari rangelands ...

Institutional development for sustainable rangeland resource and ecosystem management in mountainous areas of northern Nepal.

Rangelands represent one of the most important natural resources in mountainous regions of northern Nepal. However, a poor understanding of the social dimensions of rangeland use has limited their proper management and sustainable development, which represent major challenges for Nepal's resource managers. Institutional development is thought to be a viable solution to this problem and may ulti...

Rangeland degradation and restoration management in China

Rangelands of China have for centuries provided forage for livestock but now their role in water, soil, and biodiversity conservation is being recognised by Governments and people. However, much of the rangelands has recently degraded anddesertification is nowawidespread problem.The cause of the degradation is over-grazing andover-cultivation. Climate change is exacerbating theproblem.TheChines...