TheImprovement ofTropical and Subtropical Rangelands

Introduction to the Case Studies
Successful efforts in rangeland improvement are dependent on
a thorough understanding of environmental context and the broad
range of interactive social, economic, and political factors that affect
project formulation and implementation. The most useful and socially
responsible way to achieve this understanding is through the
analysis of indigenous social adaptations to particular regions. The
case studies in this book illustrate the adaptations to various settings
in Mrica and Asia.
The adaptations described in several of these case studies (specifically,
1, 2, 5, and 6) were characterized over 20 years ago and their
use here should not be taken to indicate that they continue to be
reasonable re8.ections of current local conditions. The evolution of
range and pastureland systems of resource management in response
to stress has been discussed in a companion study, Proceedings ofthe
Conference on Common Property Resource Management (National
Academy Press, 1986).
The first case study, "Pastoral Regimes of Mauritania," contrasts
the adaptations of the Rigaibat Lqacem of the Saharan zone
with those of the Abel bou-Lobat and other groups associated with
the Mauritanian Sahel. Case study 2, "The Beni Mguild Arabs of
Morocco," illustrates a complex system of adaptations to a mountainous
region dominated by winter precipitation. The third case
study, "The Kel Tamasheq of Mali," explores the material culture
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