The current growing body of evidence for diversity-disturbance relationships suggests that the peaked pattern predicted by the intermediate disturbance hypothesis (IDH) may not be the rule. Even if ecologists could quantify the diversity-disturbance relationship consistent with the IDH, the applicability of the IDH to land management has rarely been addressed. We examined two hypotheses related...

We analyse commercially operated rangelands as coupled systems of people and nature. The biophysical components include: (i) the reduction and recovery of potential primary production, reflected as changes in grass production per unit of rainfall; (ii) changes in woody plants dependent on the grazing and fire regimes; and (iii) livestock and wool dynamics influenced by season, condition of the ...

The social and ecological contexts for rangeland management are changing rapidly, prompting a reevaluation of science, management, and their relationship. We argue that progression from steady-state management to ecosystem management has served the rangeland profession well, but that further development toward resilience-based management is required to ensure that ecosystem services are sustain...

The use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for natural resource applications has increased considerably in recent years due to their greater availability, the miniaturization of sensors, and the ability to deploy a UAV relatively quickly and repeatedly at low altitudes. We examine in this paper the potential of using a small UAV for rangeland inventory, assessment and monitoring. Imagery with a...

     In recent years, large rangeland areas have been destroyed for various reasons, so that its negative impacts on local people's income and sustainable livelihood are become significant. Due to the fact that signs of negative or downward trends in the rangelands condition are being revealed prior to the complete degradation, a study was done to identify these sings and evaluate their importa...