Short-Term and Topographic Variations in Ecological Site Description of a Semi-Arid Mountain Rangeland

Abstract

Deficiencies in the rangeland assessment methods prompted researchers to seek new methodologies. Rangeland Ecological Site Description (RESD), is a method suggested to produce information about the sustainability of the ecological services of the rangelands. Improvability for various ecologies is an advantage of the method. In this study, the short-term variation and the effect of the topographical differences on the RESD method were determined. Suggested ecological indicators were scored at the 60 different locations (20 north, 20 south, 20 summits) of the Bozdağ Rangeland for two years (2019-2020), and the ecological indicator scores were compared using non-parametric tests. Results showed that the RESD did not change in two years but it was lower at the south face considering the north face and summit. The RESD class of the south faces was “fair”, while they were “good” for north faces and summit positions. Variations in slope gradient, light exposure, and grazing practices might be responsible for this difference. RESD method provides wider information about the ecological services of the rangelands. However, this method should be improved to give information that could be used in short-term rangeland management plans, including grazing capacity.