Over-grazing in the Dhofar Mountain Region: A Major Sustainability Challenge

Abstract

Pastoral systems are over-utilised in many countries due to population growth, land monotony, reconstruction, marketization and climate change. In Oman, particularly in the Dhofar Mountains, people are concerned about the social and environmental sustainability of pastoralism because the mountain chains, located in the south of Oman, have long been regarded as one of the best agricultural areas in the country. Overgrazing in the Dhofar Mountains due to a significant increase in the number of domestic livestock poses a threat to the environment. The main objective of this study is to conduct a systematic investigation of the socioeconomic factors affecting the Dhofar Mountain area and how this contributes to the challenges of sustainability, with emphasis on overgrazing and land degradation. A number of social scientific tools, such as focus groups and questionnaires, are being used to examine the social, economic and environmental factors of overgrazing. Results show that overgrazing and expansion in residential buildings have a positive influence on degradation of natural pastures. One of the crucial challenges that socio-ecological systems of mountains are experiencing is that strategies and policies aimed at reducing overgrazing are issued by policy makers residing outside the mountains. To address this challenge, native community stakeholders must have the ability to solve problems and make decisions. The local government should invest in marketing and animal production as an experiment that locals can replicate.