TheImprovement ofTropical and Subtropical Rangelands

82 IMPROVEMENT OF TROPIOAL AND SUBTROPIOAL RANGELANDS
Moreover, general reports usually contain extensive bibliographies
that may lead to more specific studies for the project region.
Many papers are published in professional journals as a product
of scientific studies conducted in a region. Commonly, these papers
will describe one particular aspect of the region, such as overgrazing
and erosion, that will not be critical to the total resource assessment,
but may provide some insight into a particular problern in one part
of the region. Descriptions of these papers can be found in science
indexes and abstract joumals, either by topic or by geographical
location.
.AIJ noted above, maps and reports det!lCribing various land characteristics
in a region are produced by regional, national, and international
agencies. Because these materials may not be widely
distributed, and their existence may not be generally known, inquiries
must be made at all levels to find what work may have been
done within anyone region. Finally, some types of information, such
as land ownership or census data, may be available only from local
or regional archives.
All ofthe information needed for a resource assessment probably
will not exist in a usable form at the start of a project. For example,
vegetation maps are relatively uncommon, and any existing maps for
a region may have been done for a purPOSe that is not compatible with
the objectives of the project (for example, a map of forest resources
will be quite detailed for forested areu, but may describe nonforested
lands only u "rangeland"). In other instances, existing maps or data
may be out of date. Thus, in most resource assessments a good deal
of map and supporting information must be gathered and compiled
independently during the project. Some of the more commonly used
techniques for generating this information are discU88ed below.
Interviews
DiscU88ions with local administrators, researchers, and especially
land managers can be conducted to gather information on those characteristics
that cannot be directly observed and that are probably
not recorded, such as land use, land management practices, animal
management practices, general management issues, economic conditions,
land capability, local perceptions of resources, and any other
information that may support specific project objectives.
.AIJ suggested above, background information can be extremely