TheImprovement ofTropical and Subtropical Rangelands

6
Grazing Management
In recent years, there has been renewed interest in indigenous
management systems, such as the hems system of the Near East (see
case study 9). Such systems represented highly sophisticated adaptations
to the peculiarities of particular environmental settings. The
breakdown of these systems, often as a result of disorienting soci~
economic change during the colonial era, has resulted in widespread
environmental degradation. While the principles upon which these
systems were bued are still valid, changing environmental, socioec~
nomic, and political conditions present new challenges. In many areas
ofthe world, the most promising approach to rangeland improvement
is to complement the adaptations of local populations with relevant
experience from analogous areas elsewhere. This chapter discusses
grazing management from a Western, technical perspective.
To meet the needs of forage-fed livestock and provide the other
products and services from rangelands, these lands must be managed
wisely. IT they are mismanaged to the extent that plants fail to
provide sufficient soil cover, the species composition of the plant communities
changes, reducing productivity and increasing soil erosion.
Continued abuses can result in severe soil degradation. As indicated
in the previous chapter, this does not imply, however, that all grazing
is destructive. Some native plant communities have evolved over
thousands of years under grazing by native animals.
Not all major plant species have evolved under grazing pressure.
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