TheImprovement ofTropical and Subtropical Rangelands

4
Regional Resource Assessment
The purpose of a regional U8e88IDent is to develop a general
overview of the project region that will be used in planning. ABeeament
includes describing the physical and biological character
of the land and its historical and current UIIeI. With this information,
one can estimate economic opportunities or the capability of
the lands within the region, and identify potential problems that
might be encountered under different management regimes or land
use practices.
This chapter deals with the more detailed, site-specific evaluation
that is necessary before any range improvement project can be
implemented. The first part of the chapter examines the types of information
required for a resource U8e88IDent and how they are used.
The second part describes techniques for acquiring this information,
with special emphasis on remote lensing.
INPOllMATION NODS
The objectives of the resource auessment, which are to provide
information for general planning, are:
• To determine the general nature and condition ofthe resource
base in the project regionj
• To identify the areas within the region that are of special
concernj
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