Rangeland Health
Rangeland Health

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 1994-02-01

Total Pages: 201

ISBN-13: 0309048796

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Rangelands comprise between 40 and 50 percent of all U.S. land and serve the nation both as productive areas for wildlife, recreational use, and livestock grazing and as watersheds. The health and management of rangelands have been matters for scientific inquiry and public debate since the 1880s, when reports of widespread range degradation and livestock losses led to the first attempts to inventory and classify rangelands. Scientists are now questioning the utility of current methods of rangeland classification and inventory, as well as the data available to determine whether rangelands are being degraded. These experts, who are using the same methods and data, have come to different conclusions. This book examines the scientific basis of methods used by federal agencies to inventory, classify, and monitor rangelands; it assesses the success of these methods; and it recommends improvements. The book's findings and recommendations are of interest to the public; scientists; ranchers; and local, state, and federal policymakers.

Participatory rangeland and grassland assessment (PRAGA) methodology
Participatory rangeland and grassland assessment (PRAGA) methodology

Author: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

Publisher: Food & Agriculture Org.

Published: 2022-09-08

Total Pages: 146

ISBN-13: 9251365822

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This participatory grassland and rangeland assessment (PRAGA) methodology was developed for the assessment of rangelands and grasslands in selected project countries. It was developed through the project “Participatory assessment of land degradation and sustainable land management in grassland and pastoral systems”, financed by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and executed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The methodology was piloted in five countries – Burkina Faso, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Niger and Uruguay – to test its effectiveness and value. Necessary revisions were made to the methodology, based on lessons learned from its application. This document contains background information on global grasslands and rangelands and describes the need and the guiding principle for rangeland health assessments and practical guidance on how to conduct cost-effective assessment. It is divided into two parts: Part I: Background information on grasslands and rangelands Part II: Guidance for the preparation, assessment and monitoring of grasslands and rangelands at the local level The methodology has been designed with enough flexibility to adapted to specific contexts and countries along the nine steps laid out in the document.

Rangeland Systems
Rangeland Systems

Author: David D. Briske

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2017-04-12

Total Pages: 664

ISBN-13: 3319467093

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This book is open access under a CC BY-NC 2.5 license. This book provides an unprecedented synthesis of the current status of scientific and management knowledge regarding global rangelands and the major challenges that confront them. It has been organized around three major themes. The first summarizes the conceptual advances that have occurred in the rangeland profession. The second addresses the implications of these conceptual advances to management and policy. The third assesses several major challenges confronting global rangelands in the 21st century. This book will compliment applied range management textbooks by describing the conceptual foundation on which the rangeland profession is based. It has been written to be accessible to a broad audience, including ecosystem managers, educators, students and policy makers. The content is founded on the collective experience, knowledge and commitment of 80 authors who have worked in rangelands throughout the world. Their collective contributions indicate that a more comprehensive framework is necessary to address the complex challenges confronting global rangelands. Rangelands represent adaptive social-ecological systems, in which societal values, organizations and capacities are of equal importance to, and interact with, those of ecological processes. A more comprehensive framework for rangeland systems may enable management agencies, and educational, research and policy making organizations to more effectively assess complex problems and develop appropriate solutions.

Invasive Species in Forests and Rangelands of the United States
Invasive Species in Forests and Rangelands of the United States

Author: Therese M. Poland

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2021-02-01

Total Pages: 455

ISBN-13: 3030453677

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This open access book describes the serious threat of invasive species to native ecosystems. Invasive species have caused and will continue to cause enormous ecological and economic damage with ever increasing world trade. This multi-disciplinary book, written by over 100 national experts, presents the latest research on a wide range of natural science and social science fields that explore the ecology, impacts, and practical tools for management of invasive species. It covers species of all taxonomic groups from insects and pathogens, to plants, vertebrates, and aquatic organisms that impact a diversity of habitats in forests, rangelands and grasslands of the United States. It is well-illustrated, provides summaries of the most important invasive species and issues impacting all regions of the country, and includes a comprehensive primary reference list for each topic. This scientific synthesis provides the cultural, economic, scientific and social context for addressing environmental challenges posed by invasive species and will be a valuable resource for scholars, policy makers, natural resource managers and practitioners.

Forest and Rangeland Soils of the United States Under Changing Conditions
Forest and Rangeland Soils of the United States Under Changing Conditions

Author: Richard V. Pouyat

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2020-09-02

Total Pages: 306

ISBN-13: 3030452166

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This open access book synthesizes leading-edge science and management information about forest and rangeland soils of the United States. It offers ways to better understand changing conditions and their impacts on soils, and explores directions that positively affect the future of forest and rangeland soil health. This book outlines soil processes and identifies the research needed to manage forest and rangeland soils in the United States. Chapters give an overview of the state of forest and rangeland soils research in the Nation, including multi-decadal programs (chapter 1), then summarizes various human-caused and natural impacts and their effects on soil carbon, hydrology, biogeochemistry, and biological diversity (chapters 2–5). Other chapters look at the effects of changing conditions on forest soils in wetland and urban settings (chapters 6–7). Impacts include: climate change, severe wildfires, invasive species, pests and diseases, pollution, and land use change. Chapter 8 considers approaches to maintaining or regaining forest and rangeland soil health in the face of these varied impacts. Mapping, monitoring, and data sharing are discussed in chapter 9 as ways to leverage scientific and human resources to address soil health at scales from the landscape to the individual parcel (monitoring networks, data sharing Web sites, and educational soils-centered programs are tabulated in appendix B). Chapter 10 highlights opportunities for deepening our understanding of soils and for sustaining long-term ecosystem health and appendix C summarizes research needs. Nine regional summaries (appendix A) offer a more detailed look at forest and rangeland soils in the United States and its Affiliates.

Rangeland Sustainability
Rangeland Sustainability

Author: Kristie Maczko

Publisher: CRC Press

Published: 2022-05-18

Total Pages: 181

ISBN-13: 1000580962

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This book provides an integrated description of the indicators of rangeland sustainability that capture ecological, economic, and social dimensions. It takes a fresh look at the information available on current and emerging issues across rangelands, and presents collaborative research for future progress. Authors offer a framework for evaluating rangeland sustainability, the best available data to use, as well as an interactive tool for use at a variety of geographical scales. Readers with limited knowledge of rangelands, as well as professional rangeland ecologists and land managers, will gain an understanding of the best tools available today to assess sustainability across rangeland ecosystems in the U.S.