Perception and Management of Spatio-Temporal Pasture Heterogeneity by Hungarian Herders

The goal of our study was to document traditional steppe herders' perception and management of spatial and temporal heterogeneity of forage availability of their seminatural pastures. Ninety-two herders living in the Hortobágy saline steppe, Hungary, Central Europe were interviewed, and participatory observation was used to understand herding and habitat improvement techniques. The herders recognized 47–66 habitat types (mostly grassland types), and listed at least 90 plant species important for grazing. They have a nuanced knowledge of the intra- and interannual variations of forage quality and quantity. They perform very strong and well-planned herding practices. Daily spatial pattern of grazing is, however, often opportunistic and flexible, but has a more-or-less regular year-round cycle, in which marshes and stubbles provide forage in drought periods. Reciprocal learning and continuous communication between the herder and his driving dogs and livestock strongly influence grazing pattern. Herders manage and improve different habitats of their pastures differently by traditional and, less frequently, modern methods. The main method is grazing supplemented by manuring, burning, and removal of spiny weeds. Traditional knowledge of herders could be effectively used in evidence-based conservation and pasture management of European saline steppes; e.g., the reintroduction of some old herding techniques (opportunistic pasture use, grazing of marshes, and burning). Herders' knowledge could also help the fine-tuning and local adaptation of European agri-environmental regulations (e.g., how to balance subsidies for hay-making and grazing in saline steppes). More research is needed, however, on the ecological effects of different traditional grazing techniques, e.g., rotation, manuring, and burning. In general a more complex socio-ecological understanding of the internal and external factors affecting adaptation of the Hortobágy herders to changing environment, society, and European Union policies is needed.     

资本禀赋、政策感知与牧民减畜意愿——以巴音布鲁克世界自然遗产地为例

牧民的减畜行为是遏制草原生态环境退化最有效的方法之一。本研究基于巴音布鲁克世界自然遗产地187户牧民的实地调查数据,运用有序Probit回归模型分析了牧民的资本禀赋与政策感知对减畜意愿的影响。研究发现:牧民的金融资本、物质资本、自然资本和人力资本对其减畜意愿的影响不显著,文化资本对牧民的减畜意愿具有正向影响,社会资本对牧民的减畜意愿具有负向影响;政策监督力度通过影响牧民对“违规成本”的心理预期来抑制超载放牧行为,补助金额能否弥补减畜带来的经济损失是影响牧民减畜意愿的关键所在。基于研究结果提出以下建议:加强草原生态保护政策的宣传和引导力度,并结合当地牧民的风俗习惯与生活特点制定合理的监管措施,充分发挥村规民约等社会规范对超载放牧行为的约束作用;积极推动牧民的生计转型,减小对草原和畜牧业的依赖程度。     

Is Proactive Adaptation to Climate Change Necessary in Grazed Rangelands?

In this article we test the notion that adaptation to climate change in grazed rangelands requires little more effort than current approaches to risk management because the inherent climate variability that characterizes rangelands provides a management environment that is preadapted to climate change. We also examine the alternative hypothesis that rangeland ecosystems and the people they support are highly vulnerable to climate change. Past climate is likely to become an increasingly poor predictor of the future, so there is a risk in relying on adaptation approaches developed solely in response to existing variability. We find incremental, autonomous adaptation will be sufficient to deal with most of the challenges provided by the gradual expression of climate change in the next decade or two. However, projections of greater climate change in the future means that the responses required are qualitatively as well as quantitatively different and are beyond the existing suite of adaptation strategies and coping range. The proactive adaptation responses required go well beyond incremental on-farm or local actions. New policies will be needed to deal with transformational changes associated with land tenure issues and challenges of some displacement and migration of people in vulnerable parts of rangelands. Even where appropriate adaptation actions can be framed, issues of when to act and how much to act in a proactive way remain a challenge for research, management, and policy. Whether incremental or transformational involving system changes, a diversity of adaptation options will be required in different rangeland regions to enhance social and ecological resilience.     

Climate Change and North American Rangelands: Assessment of Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies

Recent climatic trends and climate model projections indicate that climate change will modify rangeland ecosystem functions and the services and livelihoods that they provision. Recent history has demonstrated that climatic variability has a strong influence on both ecological and social components of rangeland systems and that these systems possess substantial capacity to adapt to climatic variability. Specific objectives of this synthesis are to: 1) evaluate options to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and future climate change; 2) survey actions that individuals, enterprises, and social organizations can use to adapt to climate change; and 3) assess options for system transformation when adaptation is no longer sufficient to contend with climate change. Mitigation for carbon sequestration does not appear economically viable, given the small and highly variable carbon dioxide fluxes of rangeland ecosystems and the high transaction costs that would be incurred. In contrast, adaptation strategies are numerous and provide a means to manage risks associated with climate change. Adaptation strategies are diverse, including altered risk perception by individuals, greater flexibility of production enterprises, and modifications to social organizations that emphasize climatic variability, rather than consistency. Many adaptations represent “no regrets” actions because their implementation can be justified without emphasis on pending climate change. Adaptations specific to livestock production systems can include flexible herd management, alternative livestock breeds or species, innovative pest management, modified enterprise structures, and geographic relocation. Social-ecological systems in which adaptation is insufficient to counter the adverse consequences of climate change might undergo transformative change to produce alternative ecosystem services, production enterprises, and livelihoods. The rangeland profession is in a pivotal position to provide leadership on this global challenge because it represents the intersection of management and scientific knowledge, includes diverse stakeholders who derive their livelihoods from rangelands, and interacts with organizations responsible for rangeland stewardship.     

Simulation of Pastoral Management in Mongolia: An Integrated System Dynamics Model

High grazing density has given rise to concerns about grassland degradation in periurban areas in Mongolia. Moreover, whether livestock can increase without harming the vegetation in these areas in Mongolia and what types of policy measures should be implemented is not documented. As such, this study develops an integrated simulation model of grassland biomass, animal growth, and livestock management for a forest-steppe area in northern Mongolia and conducts a simulation on long-term changes. The simulations show that, under current conditions, the number of animals will continue to increase, while the grassland biomass will decrease. Cooperative grassland management would lead to an increase in grassland biomass and higher incomes for herders. Furthermore, herders’ population changes would have a significant impact on animal density adjustments, while the effects of conventional economic measures, such as a tax on animals, would be limited if all other conditions remain constant. Consequently, the synergistic effects of herder population changes and cooperative management can contribute toward maintaining the herders’ income while preserving the grassland ecosystem.     

Cattle herd vulnerability to rainfall variability: responses to two management scenarios in southern Ethiopia

We examine how the system of grazing management of cattle in savanna rangelands affects the herd response to drought. We have used long-term time series data to evaluate the effects of management on drought-induced cattle mortality using traditional livestock management practices. There was no control of stocking densities, as compared to a government ranch where stocking densities would be adjusted in accordance with available pasture. We tested the responses under two scenarios. Scenario 1: Response of cattle herds to inter-annual rainfall variability (IRV) under a regulated grazing management system; this provides more reliable predictions of cattle population and performance in terms of herd mortality and calving rates than does the communal land use system. Scenario 2: Regardless of the management system, similar trends in cattle populations will be observed in response to IRV. The results of the study showed that fluctuations in cattle numbers, herd mortality and calving rates were highly correlated with IRV, with stronger linear impacts in accordance with scenario 2. In both management systems, cattle herd sizes and calving rates declined during periods of drought, followed by slow recovery. Cattle populations in Borana rangelands in southern Ethiopia did not recover for a period of two decades. We conclude that a management system based on control of stocking densities did not improve herd survival, as compared with traditional drought management strategies. This contradicts common expectations. Increased drought frequencies aggravated cattle mortality and lowered calving rates. The implication of the findings is that regardless of adjusted stocking density, livestock populations in the arid savanna ecosystems of southern Ethiopia remain at risk from climate change.     

Herder Observations of Rangeland Change in Mongolia: Indicators,Causes, and Application to Community-Based Management

Local observations of ecological change are important in developing tools for rangeland management and filling in gaps where quantitative data are lacking. Traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) is a potential source of information that can complement scientific knowledge. It may also allow policy makers and scientists to suggest responses that will be locally relevant, and therefore effective on the ground. We conducted 40 surveys with the use of closed-ended questionnaires followed by open-ended qualitative questions with herders in two soum (administrative districts), located in the steppe and forest steppe of Mongolia. Respondents were asked about their observations of rangeland change and its causes in the last 20 yr. Across the study areas, a strong majority (75%) of all herders reported that rangeland condition was much worse than 20 yr ago. Herders in both soum reported increases in undesirable plant species, declines in species richness, and the disappearance or decreasing abundance of specific desirable plant species. Comparing the two soum, more herders in the forest-steppe site (90%) reported that rangeland condition was much worse than reported by herders in the steppe site (65%). In qualitative responses to open-ended questions, herders identified multiple indicators of and causes behind degradation, including very heavy grazing. In a large, sparsely populated country like Mongolia, herders' observations may serve as an early warning of rangeland change, provide insights into causes of change, and identify key uncertainties. Community-based rangeland management organizations (CBRMs) could help to translate herder observations into action by participating in formal monitoring based on herder-identified indicators and implementing changes in management in response to observed change. However, herders cannot address all issues that might be contributing to troubling ecological trends without higher-level policy coordinating rangeland monitoring and herder movements at regional and national scales.     

Long-term impacts of livestock grazing and browsing in the Succulent Karoo: a 20-year study of vegetation change under different grazing regimes in Namaqualand§

This study used a fence-line contrast approach to investigate the long-term impact of high grazing pressure on the vegetation at a site in Namaqualand, South Africa. Forty pairs of permanently marked plots were surveyed in 1996, 2006 and 2016. The main objective was to investigate changes in the vegetation structure and species composition between the near-continuously grazed communal rangelands and the relatively lightly grazed commercial rangelands over the 20-year period. The results showed a decline in total vegetation cover in both commercial and communal rangelands in 2016 relative to the two earlier sampling periods. This can be attributed to the low rainfall in 2016 and was due largely to a reduction in annual plant cover, especially on the communal rangeland. Perennial shrub species provide a fodder bank that can be utilised by livestock in times of drought and can buffer short-term deficits in forage supply. However, the annuals that dominate the vegetation of the communal rangeland do not form such fodder banks and consequently do not have the same multi-year buffering capacity as perennial shrubs. This provides the mechanism whereby long-term continuous grazing decreases resilience to rainfall fluctuations and increases livestock variability, thereby promoting non-equilibrium-type dynamics in the system.     

Human-Wildlife Conflict Pattern and Suggested Mitigation Strategy in the Pamirs of Northwestern China

Predation of livestock by wildlife and the retribution responses it elicits can have strong negative impacts on both people and carnivores. A questionnaire survey designed to investigate human-carnivore conflicts was completed by 66 herders from local communities within Taxkorgan Nature Reserve, located in the Pamir and Karkorum mountains of Northwestern China. A total of 127 livestock predation events with associated predator identification were reported and 583 livestock were killed. Wolves (315 livestock) and dholes (129 livestock) were responsible for the largest number of livestock losses. Livestock depredation significantly differed between guarded and unguarded management strategies. Positive relationships between loss and the total amount of the major livestock species, as well as the total loss and total amount of livestock, were detected. Use of guard dogs did not affect the likelihood of carnivore attacks, whereas keeping livestock in pens at night or all day did reduce the number of depredation events. Depredation showed significant seasonal variation (month of occurrence) for large carnivores. Numbers of goat, sheep, and cattle predated also varied by month, but did not for yak because of different husbandry practices. No compensation policy has yet been established in this area, but if it were to be developed in the future, 83% of interviewed herders would require compensation in cash, whereas 14% of herders would prefer replacement livestock. Our study offers suggestions to mitigate livestock depredation in this region of China. To prevent livestock depredations, local herders should mainly prevent wolves and dholes because they cause most livestock killings, and employ guarded grazing practice. Managers could make herders keep a reasonable number of livestock to raise grazing efficiency, introduce suitable sheepdog breeds, and provide essential dog training as useful aids to herders to increase livestock-guarding effectiveness.     

可持续生计视角下中国北方草原区牧户脆弱性评价研究

本研究基于可持续生计框架,运用Delphi专家咨询法构建了包含5个目标层指标和15个指标层指标的中国北方草原区牧户脆弱性评价指标体系,测算中国北方草甸草原、典型草原、荒漠草原、沙地草原、草原化荒漠、山地草原6大草原类型15个旗县727户牧户生计资本状况,探讨牧户及区域尺度牧户脆弱性分异特征。研究表明,1)两轮专家咨询的专家意见协调系数分别为0.445和0.692,经卡方检验P<0.01,可见该评价指标体系科学可信;2)中国北方草原区牧户生计资本存量低,牧户家庭脆弱性指数均值为0.2990,脆弱性高;3)依据牧户脆弱性指数的大小,运用K-means Cluster方法进行样本聚类,根据聚类结果可将牧户脆弱性分为高低两类,聚类分析结果通过方差检验,F值极显著;4)高脆弱性牧户的人力资本、自然资本、物质资本、金融资本和社会资本五大类生计资本存量显著低于低脆弱性牧户;5)区域尺度牧户脆弱性指数由高到低依次为山地草原>草原化荒漠>荒漠草原>沙地草原>草甸草原>典型草原,区域尺度牧户脆弱性自西向东依次减小明显地带性规律。     

Influence of 90 Years of Protection From Grazing on Plant and Soil Processes in the Subalpine of the Wasatch Plateau,USA

Human communities in the Intermountain West depend heavily on subalpine rangelands because of their importance in providing water for irrigation and forage for wildlife and livestock. In addition, many constituencies are looking to managed ecosystems to sequester carbon in plant biomass and soil C to reduce the impact of anthropogenic CO₂ on climate. This work builds on a 90-year-old grazing experiment in mountain meadows on the Wasatch Plateau in central Utah. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of 90 years of protection from grazing on processes controlling the input, output, and storage of C in subalpine rangelands. Long-term grazing significantly reduced maximum biomass in all years compared with plots within grazing exclosures. For grazed plots, interannual variability in aboveground biomass was correlated with July precipitation and temperature (R² = 0.51), while there was a weak correlation between July precipitation and biomass in ungrazed plots (R² = 0.24). Livestock grazing had no statistically significant impacts on total soil C or particulate organic matter (POM), although grazing did increase active soil C and decrease soil moisture. Grazing significantly increased the proportion of total soil C pools that were potentially mineralizable in the laboratory, with soils from grazed plots evolving 4.6% of total soil C in 1 year while ungrazed plots lost 3.3% of total soil C. Volumetric soil moisture was consistently higher in ungrazed plots than grazed plots. The changes in soil C chemistry may have implications for how these ecosystems will respond to forecast climate change. Because grazing has resulted in an accumulation of easily decomposable organic material, if temperatures warm and summer precipitation increases as is anticipated, these soils may become net sources of CO₂ to the atmosphere creating a positive feedback between climate change and atmospheric CO₂.     

Functional Resource Heterogeneity Increases Livestock and Rangeland Productivity

Most of the world's rangelands are subject to large spatial and temporal variation in forage quantity and quality, which can have severe consequences for the stability and profitability of livestock production. Adaptive foraging movements between functional seasonal resources can help to ameliorate the destabilizing effects on herbivore body stores of spatial and temporal variability of forage quantity and quality. Functional dry-season habitats (key resources) provide sufficient nutrients and energy to minimize reliance on body stores and are critical for maintaining population stability by buffering the effects of drought. Functional wet-season habitats dominated by short, nutritious grasses facilitate optimal intake of nutrients and energy for lactating females, for optimal calf growth rates and for building body stores. Adaptive foraging responses to high-quality focal patches induced by rainfall and disturbance further facilitate intake of nutrients and energy. In addition, focused grazing impact in high-quality patches helps to prevent grassland maturing and losing quality. In this regard, the design of many rotational grazing systems is conceptually flawed because of their inflexible movement of livestock that does not allow adaptation to spatial and temporal variability in forage quantity and quality or sufficient duration of stay in paddocks for livestock to benefit from self facilitation of grazing. Similarly the fixed intraseasonal resting periods of most rotational grazing systems might not coincide with the key pulses of nitrogen mineralization and rainfall in the growing season, which can reduce their efficiency in providing a functional recovery period for grazed grasses. This might explain why complex rotational grazing systems on average have not out-performed continuous grazing systems. It follows, therefore, that ranchers need to adopt flexible grazing management practices that allow adaptation to spatial and temporal variability in forage quantity and quality, allow facilitation of grazing (season-long grazing), and allow more effective recovery periods (season-long resting).     

藏北羌塘牧民家庭人口特征和收入构成之间的关系

为探讨牧民家庭人口特征和收入构成之间的关系，通过半结构式访谈调查了藏北羌塘高寒草甸、高寒草原和荒漠草原区682户牧民，比较了其家庭规模、劳动力、抚养比、草场面积、放牧强度、家庭收入及其多样性的差异，结合多元线性回归评价了家庭人口特征对收入构成的影响。结果显示：羌塘地区牧民家庭规模大（5.3人·户^-1）、抚养比高（0.62）、劳动力充足（3人·户^-1）但受教育年限短（2.3年），高度依赖政策性收入；高寒草甸区牧民家庭规模、劳动力数量及受教育年限、抚养比和放牧强度等指标显著高于高寒草原和荒漠草原区（P<0.05），后两者之间无显著差异；荒漠草原区牧民家庭草场面积和政策性收入较高（P<0.05）；家庭规模、文盲率和抚养比是影响高寒草原和荒漠草原牧民收入构成的主要因子，人口特征对高寒草甸牧民收入影响不显著。综上所述，建议分区精准施策以提高牧民生计。     

Soil Health as a Transformational Change Agent for US Grazing Lands Management

There is rapidly growing national interest in grazing lands’ soil health, which has been motivated by the current soil health renaissance in cropland agriculture. In contrast to intensively managed croplands, soil health for grazing lands, especially rangelands, is tempered by limited scientific evidence clearly illustrating positive feedbacks between soil health and grazing land resilience, or sustainability. Opportunities exist for improving soil health on grazing lands with intensively managed plant communities (e.g., pasture systems) and formerly cultivated or degraded lands. Therefore, the goal of this paper is to provide direction and recommendations for incorporating soil health into grazing management considerations on grazing lands. We argue that the current soil health renaissance should not focus on improvement of soil health on grazing lands where potential is limited but rather forward science-based management for improving grazing lands’ resilience to environmental change via 1) refocusing grazing management on fundamental ecological processes (water and nutrient cycling and energy flow) rather than maximum short-term profit or livestock production; 2) emphasizing goal-based management with adaptive decision making informed by specific objectives incorporating maintenance of soil health at a minimum and directly relevant monitoring attributes; 3) advancing holistic and integrated approaches for soil health that highlight social-ecological-economic interdependencies of these systems, with particular emphasis on human dimensions; 4) building cross-institutional partnerships on grazing lands’ soil health to enhance technical capacities of students, land managers, and natural resource professionals; and 5) creating a cross-region, living laboratory network of case studies involving producers using soil health as part of their grazing land management. Collectively, these efforts could foster transformational changes by strengthening the link between natural resources stewardship and sustainable grazing lands management through management-science partnerships in a social-ecological systems framework.     

Profitable and Sustainable Cattle Grazing Strategies Support Reptiles in Tropical Savanna Rangeland

Rangelands are areas used primarily for grazing by domestic livestock; however, because they support native vegetation and fauna, their potential role in conservation should not be overlooked. Typically, “off-reserve” conservation in agricultural landscapes assumes a trade-off between maintaining the ecological processes that support biodiversity and successful food production and profitability. To evaluate this potential biodiversity trade-off in rangelands, we need to understand the effect of different livestock grazing strategies on biodiversity, in relation to their performance in terms of profitability and land condition. We monitored reptile community responses to four cattle-grazing strategies (heavy, moderate, and variable stocking rates and a rotational wet season spelling treatment) in a replicated, long-term grazing trial in north Queensland, Australia. Simultaneously, measures of profitability and land condition were collected for the different grazing strategies. Overall, reptile abundance was not negatively impacted by the more sustainably managed treatments (moderate, variable, and rotational) compared with heavy stocking, although the effect of grazing treatment alone was not significant. Profitability and land condition were also higher in these treatments compared with the heavy stocking rate treatment. As drought conditions worsened over the 3 yr, the negative impact of the heavy stocking treatment on both profitability and biodiversity became more pronounced. Heavy stocking negatively impacted reptiles and was also the least profitable grazing strategy over the long term, resulting in the worst land condition. This suggests that in this tropical savanna rangeland there was no trade-off between economic performance and reptile abundance and diversity. Grazing regimes with a moderate stocking rate or flexible management strategies were better able to buffer the effects of climate variability. The consequence was a more resilient reptile community and better economic outcomes in dry years.     

气候变化对家庭牧场复合系统的影响及其牧民适应

家庭牧场土-草-畜-人复合生态系统是北方草原应对气候变化的基本单元,研究其适应性是促进牧区可持续发展的科学基础之一。以草业系统论构建家庭牧场气候变化适应性的研究方法,基于问卷调查研究了内蒙古草原10个旗县599个家庭牧场对气候变化的响应过程。结果表明,1)放牧地、打草场、饲料地、购草作为家庭牧场草料供给途径存在明显的区域分异,饲料地、购草之间具有替代效应;2)以干旱为主的极端气候是气候变化影响家庭牧场的关键因子,雪灾、沙尘暴、大风的影响在内蒙古各地呈现分异格局;3)牲畜、草场是气候变化作用于家庭牧场经营的主要介质,而通过土壤、人群、设施等要素对家庭牧场影响相对较小;4)购草、卖畜是牧户应对极端气候的主要适应行为,分别为保畜与减畜策略,比较而言,保畜策略更为常见。研究认为,家庭牧场复合系统对气候变化的响应发生于草畜-经营界面,草、畜2因子是反馈过程的关键节点。     

2005-2017年青海三江源区草地家畜承载力时空格局研究

位于青藏高原腹地的青海三江源是全球气候变化的启动区和脆弱区,是我国国家生态安全屏障。为有效遏制该地区高寒草地生态退化,在2005—2017年先后实施了生态保护和建设一期工程、二期工程。本研究应用基于卫星遥感模型估算的植被净初级生产力及家畜存栏统计数据,对三江源生态保护和建设工程实施以来草地理论载畜量及载畜压力时空变化及其原因进行了分析。结果表明：2005—2017年间三江源区理论载畜量呈现不显著降低趋势,较之前一期工程期间,二期工程实施期间理论载畜量降低了6.75%;一期工程实施期间现实载畜总量2 041.39万羊单位,载畜压力指数1.38;而二期工程实施期间,可能由于气候暖干化使得理论载畜量降低,以及实施减畜政策与补偿的不对等关系,导致现实载畜总量增至2 216.40万羊单位,载畜压力指数增至1.60。研究结果表明生态保护和建设工程仍然面临着艰巨而又复杂的挑战。     

Pastoralists’ perceptions of feed scarcity and livestock poisoning in southern rangelands, Ethiopia

A survey was conducted between April and July 2007 to generate information on dry season feeding management and livestock poisoning in the southern rangelands of Ethiopia. A total of 119 pastoralists were interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire. Moreover, additional information was obtained through informal discussions. The study revealed that pastoralists have rich knowledge of natural resource management and utilization and employ various strategies such as migration, collection of grasses and pods, and cutting branches to overcome feed scarcity during dry/drought periods. Migration of livestock and people to areas with better grazing is the widely used strategy. However, the implementation of this strategy is diminishing as a result of changes such as bush encroachment, expansion of settlements, and crop cultivation in dry-season grazing lands. The respondents also indicated the presence of poisonous plants in the rangeland, and about 20 such plants were identified by the respondents. Various species and classes of livestock are reported to be affected by toxic plants particularly in the dry and early rainy seasons when feed is in short supply. A more extensive survey is required to document all poisonous plants in the rangelands and to identify the major toxic principles in the different species. Future development interventions should consider the prevailing constraints and potentials of the rangelands with active participation of the pastoralists.     

Effects of Long-Term Livestock Grazing on Fuel Characteristics in Rangelands: An Example From the Sagebrush Steppe

Livestock grazing potentially has substantial influence on fuel characteristics in rangelands around the globe. However, information quantifying the impacts of grazing on rangeland fuel characteristics is limited, and the effects of grazing on fuels are important because fuel characteristics are one of the primary factors determining risk, severity, continuity, and size of wildfires. We investigated the effects of long-term (70+ yr) livestock grazing exclusion (nongrazed) and moderate levels of livestock grazing (grazed) on fuel accumulations, continuity, gaps, and heights in shrub-grassland rangelands. Livestock used the grazed treatment through 2008 and sampling occurred in mid- to late summer in 2009. Nongrazed rangelands had over twofold more herbaceous standing crop than grazed rangelands (P < 0.01). Fuel accumulations on perennial bunchgrasses were approximately threefold greater in nongrazed than grazed treatments. Continuity of fuels in nongrazed compared to grazed treatments was also greater (P < 0.05). The heights of perennial grass current year’s and previous years’ growth were 1.3-fold and 2.2-fold taller in nongrazed compared to grazed treatments (P < 0.01). The results of this study suggest that moderate livestock grazing decreases the risk of wildfires in sagebrush steppe plant communities and potentially other semi-arid and arid rangelands. These results also suggest wildfires in moderately grazed sagebrush rangelands have decreased severity, continuity, and size of the burn compared to long-term nongrazed sagebrush rangelands. Because of the impacts fuels have on fire characteristics, moderate levels of grazing probably increase the efficiency of fire suppression activities. Because of the large difference between fuel characteristics in grazed and nongrazed sagebrush rangelands, we suggest that additional management impacts on fuels and subsequently fires need to be investigated in nonforested rangelands to protect native plant communities and prioritize management needs.     

Long-Term Vegetation Trends on Grazed and Ungrazed Chihuahuan Desert Rangelands

Long-term information on the effects of managed grazing versus excluded grazing effects on vegetation composition of desert rangelands is limited. Our study objectives were to evaluate changes in frequency of vegetation components and ecological condition scores under managed livestock grazing and excluded livestock grazing over a 38-yr period at various locations in the Chihuahuan Desert of southwestern New Mexico. Sampling occurred in 1962, 1981, 1992, 1998, 1999, and 2000. Range sites of loamy (1), gravelly (2), sandy (2), and shallow sandy (2) soils were used as replications. Black grama (Bouteloua eriopoda Torr.) was the primary vegetation component at the seven locations. Dyksterhuis quantitative climax procedures were used to determine trends in plant frequency based on a 1.91-cm loop and rangeland ecological condition scores. Frequency measures of total perennial grass, black grama, tobosa (Hilaria mutica Buckley), total shrubs, honey mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa Torr.), and other vegetation components were similar on both grazed and ungrazed treatments (P > 0.1) at the beginning and end of the study. The amount of change in rangeland ecological condition scores was the same positive increase (14%) for both grazed and ungrazed treatments. Major changes (P < 0.1) occurred within this 38-yr study period in ecological condition scores and frequency of total perennial grasses and black grama in response to annual fluctuations in precipitation. Based on this research, managed livestock grazing and excluded livestock grazing had the same long-term effects on change in plant frequency and rangeland ecological condition; thus, it appears that managed livestock grazing is sustainable on Chihuahuan desert rangelands receiving over 25 cm annual precipitation.