The Improvement of Tropical and Subtropical Rangelands (BOSTID): Part I: The nature of tropical and subtropical rangelands: (introduction...)

The Improvement of Tropical and Subtropical Rangelands (BOSTID)

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Acknowledgements

Panel on the improvement of tropical and subtropical rangelands

Contributors

National research council staff

Preface

Overview: Dimensions of a worldwide environmental crisis

The geographical scope

References

Part I

Introduction

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References

The nature of tropical and subtropical rangelands

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Range classification

Social system-ecosystem interactions

References

The social context for rangeland improvement

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Production systems in tropical and subtropical regions

Context of environmental degradation

References

The economic context

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Range systems

The basis of range economics

Project analysis

Determining costs and benefits

Resource evaluation

Market price determination

References

Regional resource assessment

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Information needs

Information acquisition

References

Site evaluation

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An ecosystem perspective

A systems approach to site evaluation

Evaluation of abiotic and biotic components

Integrated evaluations

References

Grazing management

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Grazing management concepts

Time of grazing

Distribution of grazing

Type of animal grazing

Number of animals grazing

Grazing management planning

Grazing management systems

Livestock management

The herima system in Mali

References

Rehabilitation techniques

Establishing plants on the range

Natural revegetation

Direct seeding

Improvement of tropical and subtropical rangelands

Selected practices

References

Criteria for plant selection

Project planning

Socioeconomic and management considerations in feasibility studies

Adaptation to ecoclimatic conditions

Adaptation to soils

Adaptation to physiography, geomorphology, topography, slope, and aspect

Ability of introduced species to compete with native vegetation

Use regimes

Availability of seeds and plant materials

Maintenance of biological diversity

Plant improvement

References

Part II

Introduction to the case studies

Pastoral regimes of Mauritania

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Physical geography

Migration cycle

The Beni Mguild of Morocco

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Physical geography

Migratory cycle

The Kel Tamasheq

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Introduction

Camp organization

References

Dromedary pastoralism in Africa and Arabia

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Introduction

Reproduction and risk

Management and labor

Subsistence production

Marketing

Predatory pastoralism

The future of camel pastoralism

References

The mountain nomads of Iran: Basseri and Bakhtiari

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The physical environment

The basseri

The bakhtiari

The Marri Baluch of Pakistan

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Physical environment

Seasons and migrations

A mixed economic system

Conclusiones

Changing patterns of resource use in the Bedthi-Aghanashini valleys of Karnataka state, India

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Introduction

The setting

Human communities

Traditional patterns of resource management

Colonial period

After independence

Recent trends

References

Kenya: Seeking remedies for desert encroachment

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Introduction

Background

Traditional pastoralism

Baseline studies

Vegetation and livestock

Directions for the future

The hema system in the Arabian peninsula

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Rights of ownership or use

The hema system in Saudi Arabia

The mahmia or marah, and the koze system in Syria

Neglect of the hema and its consequences

Hema in the range improvement and conservation programs in the near east

References

Wildlife land use at the Athi River, Kenya

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Background

Some early findings

Conclusion

Camel husbandry in Kenya: Increasing the productivity of ranchland

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Introduction

Location

Vegetation

Livestock

Introduction of camels

Management and adaptability

Reproduction and lactation

Veterinary notes

Economics

Reference

The potential of faidherbia albida for desertification control and increased productivity in Chad

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Background

Characteristics of faidherbia albida

Project description

Project analysis and evaluation

Conclusions

References

Improving Nigeria's animal feed resources: Pastoralists and scientists cooperate in fodder bank research

Board on science technology for international development

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Members

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This report focuses on areas of low and undependable precipitation within the tropics and subtropics. (1) Much of the area is occupied by savannahs and thorn-bushlands, often characterized by a rich diversity of grasses. The prominence of grasses in tropical rangelands in many instances reflects the repeated use of fire in hunting or range renewal (Sauer, 1952), as well as the coevolution of grasses and wild herbivores (Harris, 1969). Substantial tracts of forest are associated with tropical rangelands in some regions; in others, extensive swamps created by the seasonal overbank flooding of exotic rivers are features of considerable regional importance.

Tropical rangelands differ greatly from rangelands in temperate regions, and social adaptations to these differences are reflected in the management of range resources. Differences of climate (Trewartha, 1954), soils (Sanchez, 1975), vegetation (Davy, 1938; French, 1957), and other environmental factors are well documented and generally well understood. The management of tropical rangelands is further affected by the prevalence of livestock diseases. Rinderpest, foot-and-mouth disease, contagious bovine pleuro-pneumonia, anthrax, east-coast fever, trypanosomiasis, and sheep pox have historically taken heavy tolls in the tropics (Pratt and Gwynne, 1977). Strategies to blunt the impact of disease include increasing livestock holdings to levels that assure the survival of a breeding nucleus. The relatively high levels of social, economic, and political differentiation within the tropics similarly affect the exploitation and management of range resources.