Mountain Rangelands Research Articles

Modeling of Sustainable Land Use of Mountain Pastures in Kyrgyzstan Based on Effective Management of Livestock Practices

On the example of complex analysis of rangeland systems of Kyrgyzstan located in different natural conditions (key objects “Balykchi (Kyok-Moynok),” “Kyok-Oy,” “Suu-Samir”) the possibility of applying the methodology of sustainable land management modeling for assessment and improvement of traditional mountain pastures is shown. The main parameters of sustainable pasture management models for the considered territories were defined including 3 main groups: land potential, adverse impacts (actual processes and phenomena), risk of degradation (potential processes), whose content is divided into 8 subgroups and includes natural conditions and expanded resource potential, ability to self-recovery and sufficiency of socioeconomic conditions, natural and anthropogenic impacts and risks defined for these groups. A systematic list of successful practices in the use of mountain rangelands in Kyrgyzstan has been compiled. The analysis of different practices and their role in maintaining the sustainability of specific models, depending on the baseline situation, biophysical and socioeconomic conditions, has been conducted. The results are summarized and presented in the petal diagrams’ form. It is shown that the effectiveness of sustainable rangeland management models is determined by a set of successful practices. The article reveals a natural growth of volume and diversity of applied practices as the growth of anthropogenic potential of rangeland systems. The proposed approaches can be used as part of the practical management of rangelands by pastoralist societies and are included as methodological recommendations for the development of rangeland legislation and the assessment of the effectiveness of rangeland livestock, taking into account the completeness of the set of practices and technologies applied in different natural conditions.

High-resolution assessment of the carrying capacity and utilization intensity in mountain rangelands with remote sensing and field data

Dry rangelands provide resources for half of the world's livestock, but degradation due to overgrazing is a major threat to system sustainability. Existing carrying capacity assessments are limited by low spatiotemporal resolution and high generalization, which hampers applied ecological management decisions. This paper provides an example for deriving the carrying capacity and utilization levels for cold drylands at a new level of detail by including major parts of the transhumance system. We combined field data on vegetation biomass and communities, forage quality, productivity, livestock species and quantities, grazing areas and their spatiotemporal variations with Sentinel-2 and MODIS snow cover satellite imagery to develop maps of forage requirements and availability. These products were used to calculate carrying capacity and grazing potential in the Pamir-Hindukush Mountains. Results showed high spatial variability of utilization rates between 5% and 77%. About 30% of the area showed unsustainable grazing above the carrying capacity. Utilization rates displayed strong spatial differences with unsustainable grazing in winter pastures and at lower elevations, and low rates at higher altitudes. The forage requirements of wild herbivores (ungulates and marmots) were estimated to be negligible compared to livestock, with one tenth of the biomass consumption and no increase in unsustainably grazed pastures due to the wider distribution of animals. The assessment was sensitive to model parameterization of forage requirements and demand, whereby conservative scenarios, i.e. lower fodder availability or higher fodder requirements of livestock due to climate and altitude effects, increased the area with unsustainable grazing practices to 50%. The presented approach enables an in-depth evaluation of the carrying capacity and corresponding management actions. It includes new variables relevant for transhumance systems, such as the combination of forage quantity and quality or accessibility restrictions due to snow, and shows utilization patterns at high spatial resolutions. Regional maps allow the identification of unsustainable utilization areas, such as winter pastures in this study.

Impact of mechanical shrub removal on encroached mountain rangelands in Lesotho, southern Africa

AbstractAlthough rangelands are among the most socio‐economically valuable ecosystems, their degradation remains a world‐wide problem, especially in sub‐Saharan Africa. Lesotho montane rangelands are no exception and are characterised by shrub encroachment and deterioration. As a result, the Lesotho Government has invested heavily on a programme of uprooting the shrubs across the country. Although the programme has been implemented for more than a decade, no scientific studies have assessed the ecological benefits of this approach. Therefore, the current study evaluated the impact of mechanical shrub removal on plant diversity and composition in Lesotho. Stratified random sampling was employed using the Metric Belt Transect‐Quadrat Method to assess the effect of uprooting shrubs on encroached rangeland by comparing herbaceous species diversity and standing biomass across areas that had previously been subjected to shrub removal in three sequential years and rested from grazing. The results reveal that even though mechanical shrub removal enhances herbaceous species diversity and standing biomass, the improvement declines with time post shrub removal. Therefore, the process has a short‐lived benefit and needs to be repeated at least every 2 years to maximise its impact. It is evident that the manual removal of shrubs improves rangeland condition by enhancing growth of herbaceous plants, including forbs and grasses. Therefore, this technique has a potential to be used as a rangeland management tool.

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

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.

The relationship between the functional diversity, functional redundancy and community stability in mountain rangelands

The relationship between the functional diversity, functional redundancy and community stability in mountain rangelands

Does shrub encroachment reduce foraging grass abundance through plant-plant competition in Lesotho mountain rangelands?

Shrub encroachment is understood to be an important problem facing rangeland ecosystems globally. The phenomenon is still poorly understood both in regard to its impacts (e.g., on diversity, productivity, and soil properties) and its causes. We study the impacts and causes of dwarf shrub encroachment in the highlands of Lesotho. There, shrubs have been described as indicators of generalized land degradation and soil erosion. Surprisingly, our findings show that grass abundance is not reduced by shrub abundance, but that forb abundance does decrease with shrub abundance. We suggest that not enough research has been done to examine the role of forbs in livestock diets, nor in assessing its role in plant-plant competition in grass-shrub systems. Equating shrub presence with declines in available forage may be hasty, as according to our results, grasses were not decreased by shrub expansion in this context; however, forbs are critical components of livestock diets. We propose that the role of forbs in this system should be further studied, focusing on the role that high-nutrient or N-fixing forbs could play in returning nutrients to the soil and affecting livestock grazing patterns, both of which could reduce shrub abundances and favor the establishment of a richer forb community.

Seasonal Variations in Voluntary Intake and ApparentDigestibility of Forages by Goats in the Chinese Altai Mountains.

Simple SummaryGrazing animals have a major impact on rangelands through the consumption and trampling of vegetation along with excreta deposition. In turn, forage availability and quality, shaped by environmental and grazing impacts, affect animal performance and health. This study investigated the interaction between amount and nutritional quality of vegetation on offer and animal feed intake on alpine pastures in the Chinese Altai Mountains. To this end, daily grazing routes, vegetation on offer along the pathways, and forage consumption of goats were monitored during spring and the early and late summer season of two consecutive years. Grazing routes were longer in spring than in summer, leading to larger pasture areas utilised in spring. Despite marked differences in vegetation on offer between the two study years, quantitative feed intake did not exhibit seasonal or annual differences, indicating that the goats’ nutrient intake was not restricted on the mountain ranges.Forage availability and quality directly impact animal performance, ultimately affecting productivity and health. This study aimed to understand the interaction between qualitative and quantitative vegetation availability and feed intake of goats on alpine pastures in the Chinese Altai Mountains. The daily grazing routes of three goats from a local herding family were monitored with GPS devices set at a logging rate of 64 s during spring and the early and late summer season in 2013 and 2014. The quantity and quality of vegetation along their grazing routes was determined, and the amount of feces excreted was measured in a total of five goats per season for the indirect determination of the animals’ feed intake. The grazing routes were longer in spring than in summer, leading to larger grazing areas visited in spring. Vegetation on offer ranged from 980 to 2400 kg dry mass per hectare and was similar in the spring and summer seasons but higher in 2013 than in 2014. Feed consumption of forage and nutrients did not significantly differ between seasons and years, respectively, suggesting that the goats’ nutrient intake was not restricted by interannual variability of forage on offer. Regular monitoring of animal numbers and of vegetation quantity and quality on the mountain rangelands can help responsible government agencies to estimate forage offtake of small ruminants in order to timely adjust grazing pressure in the study region.

Impact of Grazing Regimes, Landscape Aspect, and Elevation on Plant Life Form Types in Managed Arid Montane Rangelands

Arid steppes, with scattered vegetation, are commonly qualified as degraded ecosystems. Their natural vegetation cover is affected by both abiotic stresses and human activities and, therefore, suitable managements are needed for their sustainability. This study was carried out in the mountain rangeland chain of Matmata (southern dryland of Tunisia) during the springs of 2 rainy yr, 2019 and 2020. Our aims were to evaluate the impact of three grazing regimes (grazing exclusion [over 42 ys; 1978−2020]; seasonal [protected in spring and summer and grazed in autumn and winter, since the 1960s]; and continuous grazing [control; grazed over time]) on the cover of some plant life forms (Raunkiaer, Noy-Meir, and Grime types), under various conditions (sites, aspects, and elevations). To achieve this goal, the pseudoreplicated-nested design was applied, taking into account the site locations (grazing regimes), aspects (exposure to sunlight), and elevations. The cover of the retained plant life forms was measured using the quadrat point method. The main results showed that plant life forms are strongly affected by the grazing regime since the chamephytes (Ch_R), arido-active (AA_NM), and competitive stress-tolerant species (CS_G) are higher under seasonal grazing than control. All these species are qualified as less resistant to grazing. However, arido-passive (AP_NM), ruderal stress-tolerant (RS_G), and therophytes (Th_R) seem to be more resistant to grazing. Studying the impact of grazing management on the plant life form types provides useful information to find the most adapted species for rangeland sustainability all around the world.

Ilemchane Transhumant Pastoralists' Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Adaptive Strategies: Continuity and Change in Morocco's High Atlas Mountains

Mountain rangelands are critical resources for mobile pastoralists, and they provide benefits to humankind broadly. Yet mountain pastoral social–ecological systems (SESs) face challenges that affect both mountains and rangelands. Herders' traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) underpins their adaptive strategies and serves as a resource for future adaptation. This holistic case study of Ilemchane transhumant herders in Morocco's High Atlas Mountains applies a simple framework to explore how herders' biophysical TEK, practices, and institutions interrelate and how climate and social changes affect the SES. Using participant observation, interviews, and surveys, we find Ilemchane climate, plant, and ecological knowledge shape their practices and institutions, which in turn reinforce or alter TEK. Building on a recent synthesis of mountain SES, we identify a paradox of remoteness, wherein Ilemchane remoteness both maintains traditional transhumant culture and TEK and threatens it. Overcoming this paradox may require internal organization, collective action, and external support.

Transforming Degraded Rangelands and Pastoralists' Livelihoods in Eastern Bhutan

High-elevation rangelands in Bhutan provide livelihoods for many herding communities. However, severe rangeland degradation in the far eastern region is threatening livestock productivity, biodiversity conservation, and household wellbeing. This paper describes a 3-year community-based rangeland project in eastern Bhutan aimed at restoring and protecting high-elevation rangelands, including wildlife habitats, grasslands, and watersheds, while improving livelihoods. Herder families (120) of the Brokpa ethnic group participated in group management training, savings schemes, pasture improvement, revegetation, and conservation education. Herders restored 35 ha of severely eroded rangeland and sowed 80 ha of improved pasture, and 148 household members invested in savings, with 10 households borrowing funds to diversify income. Households were interviewed before and after the project using semistructured interview guides to determine their perceptions of the project's impacts and limitations. Respondents were satisfied that gully erosion was under control, savings groups were generating income, community cohesion had improved, and awareness of red panda conservation had increased. However, there was ongoing winter fodder shortage, heavy rain damage, and lack of consensus about improving communal pasture areas. We conclude that pastoralists' willingness and ability to restore mountain rangelands will depend on the security of their use rights to graze and manage high-elevation areas. Building trust between mountain communities and agencies and staying committed to long-term social and environmental change are essential for practitioners and policymakers.

Changes in Rangeland Condition and Health of Palandoken Mountain Rangelands Over two Decades

Rangeland plant communities respond to environmental changes depending on management practices, climate, topography, and time. The objective of the study was to determine the changes in abundancy of functional plant groups, range condition score, class, and health with different topographical characteristics between 1993 and 2013. Trends in the investigated characteristics changed depending on aspect and topography. While the abundancy of decreaser and increaser plants decreased, invader plant abundancy increased over two decades. Similarly, range condition score, class, and health also declined in this period. The changes in investigated properties showed uneven distribution among the sites due to uncontrolled grazing practices and site characteristics. The results indicated that range degradation has been continued under current grazing practices. Therefore sustainable range management strategies should be put urgently into practice for the conservation of natural resources in the highland hilly rangelands of Turkey.

Effect of slope aspect on vegetation characteristics in mountain rangelands of Tajikistan: considerations for future ecological management and restoration

Tajikistan’s rangelands are mostly mountainous and consist of summer and winter pastures. Vegetation structure and composition in these diverse landscapes are generally influenced by environmental factors. The objective of this study was to assess the effects of aspect on vegetation characteristics of two mountainous pastures (summer and winter) over two seasons (autumn and spring) in Tajikistan. A three-way ANOVA was conducted using GLM procedures to test the main effects and interactions of these factors on vegetation attributes. The biomass production (kg DM ha−1) was significantly greater on the north-facing aspects for both summer and winter pastures in spring (483.4, 326.1) and autumn (57.2, 143.9), compared with south-facing aspects (57.2, 143.9 in spring and 18.5, 48.2 in autumn, respectively). Plant cover and plant density were also greater on north than south-facing slopes for summer and winter pastures in spring and autumn. Aspect significantly affected species diversity, botanic composition, and plant life forms of both pastures mainly for grasses and geophytes. There were greater vegetation responses on north than south-facing slopes, implying that aspect is important when designing mountain rangeland restoration. Given this complexity, land managers should thoroughly assess the conditions of the target site before defining restoration objectives and interventions.

Plant Diversity in Sardinian Mountain Rangelands: Analysis of Its Relationships with Grazing, Land Management, and Pastoral Value

In this study, we analyzed the effects of grazing on native and endemic plant diversity, as well as its relationship with pastoral value along a gradient of abiotic and biotic factors and types of land management in a mountainous area of central-eastern Sardinia, Italy. Plant diversity was estimated by conducting a floristic survey within plots. In total, 231 plant species were recorded in 63 plots distributed within the study area, and this total number included 20 endemic species. Species richness was mainly affected by the type of management, soil attributes, altitude, and bioclimate. Pastoral value was strongly affected by nutrient availability and bioclimate. Our results suggest that the cover of endemic species increases with altitude. Finally, in Sardinian rangelands, a negative effect of grazing pressure on endemic species was observed.

Community diversity, functional traits and adaptation of Stipa tenacissima L. under different grazing regimes in a North African arid montane rangeland

The mountain rangeland chain of Matmata (southern Tunisia) is characterised by an arid Mediterranean climate with severe droughts and high temperatures, combined with substantial human disturbance. In order to withstand these harsh conditions, plants have developed adaptive strategies and functional traits to survive. This study aims to evaluate the impact of three grazing regimes (grazing exclusion, seasonal and continuous grazing) on Stipa tenacissima L. functional traits, a dominant native and multi-use plant species, and its community. The findings suggest that the diversity of plant communities and traits of S. tenacissima are strongly affected by the management regime. Diversity is higher under seasonal grazing. Traits, such as leaf water content, specific leaf area and bio-volume are higher under seasonal grazing, compared with continuous grazing and/or sites fenced off to prevent grazing. Hence, seasonal grazing is recommended to maintain diversity of the plant community and to enhance the adaptation strategies of the local species under montane dryland conditions.

Floristic Diversity and Distribution Patterns Along an Elevational Gradient in the Northern Part of the Ardabil Province Rangelands, Iran

This study evaluated the distribution pattern, species diversity index (richness, diversity, and evenness), importance value index (IVI), and family importance value (FIV) of all vascular plant species and various plant community life-form spectra along the Moghan Plain–Sabalan Mountain rangelands, Ardabil province, Iran. Sampling was conducted in 11 elevation classes at 300-m elevation intervals (100–3300 masl). In each elevation interval, 30 quadrats (1 × 1 m) were laid to collect vegetation data. Different vegetation attributes (density, frequency, and canopy cover) were measured for each quadrat. Regression analyses were employed to explore the interrelation of elevation with diversity, species richness, evenness, and IVI. In total, 251 species (143 genera, 38 families) were recorded across the study area. Poaceae, Fabaceae, and Asteraceae were most dominant families according to the FIV. According to the IVI, Poa bulbosa, Festuca ovina, Medicago minima, and Artemisia austriaca were the dominant species along the elevation gradient. Total diversity and species richness showed a normal distribution along the elevation gradient. Overall, hemicryptophytes and therophytes were the dominant life forms, while chamaephytes and geophytes were less frequent forms. The life-form patterns changed along elevation gradients. While the diversity and species richness values of therophytes and chamaephytes showed a decreasing trend, hemicryptophytes increased with increasing elevation. Diversity, species richness, and evenness of geophytes were not significantly different across the elevation gradient. Class I (highly palatable) and class II (mostly palatable) species declined as the elevation increased and then increased, while class III (hardly or unpalatable) species showed a reverse trend. The difference in the abundance and distribution of species in elevation classes could be related to resource availability, overlap of habitats, habitat patchiness, land area, degree of human influence, or biotic disturbances.

Grazing and climate change have site‐dependent interactive effects on vegetation in Asian montane rangelands

Abstract Climate over Asian montane rangelands is changing faster than the global average, posing serious threats to the future of the region's livestock‐based economies and cultures. Effects of climate change on rangeland vegetation likely depend on grazing by herbivores but the potential responses of vegetation to such changes in climate and grazing regimes remain unclear. We examined vegetation responses to experimentally simulated climate change (warming, drought and increased rainfall) and grazing (clipping vegetation) between 2015 and 2018 at two mountain rangeland sites: Spiti valley, in the Indian Trans‐Himalaya and Tost, in the Gobi‐Altai Mountains in Mongolia. Clipping and climate change manipulations interactively reduced vegetation cover and biomass but did not affect species richness. Treatment effects and their interactions varied between sites. In ungrazed plots, vegetation cover and biomass declined sharply in response to warming (18%–35%) and drought (20%–50%) at the two sites, and, surprisingly also declined slightly in response to increased rainfall (20%) at Tost. While the effects of climate treatments were largely similar in the grazed and ungrazed plots in Tost, they were larger in the ungrazed plots in Spiti. The decline in vegetation cover was driven by a decline in the cover of both forbs and grasses. In combination, grazing and warming (Tost) or drought (Spiti) had sub‐additive effects, that is, the decrease in vegetation cover in response to grazing and warming/drought was less than the sum of their independent effects but greater than the effect of either manipulation alone. Of the two, warming had a greater effect than drought at the more arid site (Tost), whereas drought had a larger effect at the more mesic site (Spiti). Synthesis and applications. Our findings show that future changes in climate, including just over 1°C of warming, could undermine the sustainability of pastoral economies and the persistence of wildlife across Asian montane rangelands. Furthermore, grazing by herbivores will play an important role in mediating rangeland responses to climate change; thus, pasture management in concert with local pastoralists will be crucial in mitigating the adverse effects of climate change on rangelands, pastoral livelihoods and wildlife populations.

Soil Organic Carbon Stocks and Nitrogen Content Comparison in Different Slope Positions in Native Grasslands and Adjacent Cultivated Soils (Case Study: Kermanshah Mountain Rangelands, Iran)

Soil Organic Carbon Stocks and Nitrogen Content Comparison in Different Slope Positions in Native Grasslands and Adjacent Cultivated Soils (Case Study: Kermanshah Mountain Rangelands, Iran)

ESSENTIAL OIL COMPOSITION OF THYMUS FALLAX FISCH. & C.A. MEY. AT DIFFERENT GROWING ALTITUDES IN MAZANDARAN, IRAN

Thymus fallax Fisch. & C.A. Mey. (Lamiaceae) is a permanent plant that grows in some mountain rangelands of Mazandaran province in Iran. The aerial parts of Thymus fallax were collected during flowering stage from mountain rangelands of Mazandaran province, in North of Iran. Around samples were collected from three altitudes (2400 m, 2700 m and 3000 m a.s.l.), in mountain regions of Mazandaran province. The goal of current research was to assess the effect of altitude on the chemical composition and function of essential oil in Thymus fallax. The essential oil was obtained by hydrodistillation and analyzed by gas chromatography (GC) and gas spectrometry (GC-MS). Based on the results, the essential oil content is between 1.12 - 1.61% at different altitudes. The result of study shows that the highest concentrated essential oil (1.61%) was extracted in the lowest altitude (2400 m), while it was opposite, (0.1.12%) in the highest altitude (3000 m). The main compounds of essential oil are: thymol (5.95% - 10.06%), carvacrol (13.63% - 69.04%), p-cymene (4.19% - 12.18%) and borneol (4.72% - 5.66%). According to the results, altitude has a negative effect on the percentage of essential oils and essential oil decreases with increasing altitude. The altitude has a negative effect on the percentage of thymol and the content of thymol decreased with increasing altitude. The altitude has a positive effect on the percentage of carvacrol and the content of carvacrol increased with increasing altitude.

Nutritional Management of The Transhumant Sheep and Goat in Greece

In Mediterranean countries dairy sheep and goat farming is based on grazing even though production system can vary from extensive, where nutrition is based on the exploitation of natural resources, to intensive, where nutrition can be a combination of grazing and parallel supplementation of feed. Transhumance is an extensive farming system where herds are moved to uplands in order to exploit the mountainous rangelands. Purpose of this paper was to study the nutritional management of transhumant sheep and goat herds in Greece. Non parametric analysis was performed to a sample of 551 transhumant herds. The results revealed differences of the nutritional management performed between different species and breeds of the reared animals. More specifically nutrition of goats and indigenous mountainous breeds was based mainly on grazing even to lowlands while nutrition of sheep and improved dairy breeds tended to be more integrated with combination of grazing to supplementation of feed.

A novel GIS-based ensemble technique for rangeland downward trend mapping as an ecological indicator change

Rangelands provide important ecosystem services worldwide. The present study was aimed to map rangeland degradation in a critical mountainous rangeland ecosystem of Iran. The study was carried out based on seven years intensive fieldwork and recording 1147 locations with downward trends in the quality of the rangelands. Twelve conditional factors and two important ensemble algorithms including Probability density-Index of entropy (PD-IOE) and Frequency ratio-Index of entropy (FR-IOE), were used to produce rangeland downward trend (RDT) susceptibility maps. The results of validation showed that PD-IOE hybrid model with area under curve (AUC = 0.901) and standard error (SE = 0.011) is more accurate than FR-IOE hybrid model (AUC = 0.881 and SE = 0.012). In addition, our results indicate that altitude, distance to river, and distance to road are the most important factors for rangeland degradation. In addition, the places with higher altitude and less distance to roads and rivers endured more degradation and these places have downward trends. Based on the achieved results, 2% and 10% of study area fall into the very high and high classes of downward trends, respectively. Overgrazing and early grazing are two main drivers for rangeland degradation in the study area, and the rangeland managers and decision makers should define and develop strategies to reduce pressure on rangelands and promote strategies to restore these important ecosystems.