TheImprovement ofTropical and Subtropical Rangelands

GRAZING MANAGEMENT 123
FIGURE 8-2
(J. O'Rourke)
Camela on raneeland in eutern Morocco dominated by shrubs.
NUMBER 0' ANIMALS GRAZING
The concept of reducing the number of animals owned is very
threatening where livelihood and proper herd management, as well
as prestige, depend upon the size of one's herd. A more acceptable
approach might be to regulate the intensity of grazing wherein time
of grazing is more controlled than the number of animals.
Grazing intensity is measured in animal unit months (AUM) ,
which is the livestock concentration per unit area (stocking rate)
multiplied by the proportion of time that a unit or portion of a unit
is grazed. The intensity of grazing on rangeland forages will always
be a pivotal consideration in developing a grazing program. There
is, of necessity, a limit to the number of animals that a given range
will support. Management will have a major influence on stocking
rates, which will be higher as management integrates the biological
and economic considerations to provide the optimum plan for a
specific range unit. Stocking rates that exceed the carrying capacity
of the range may increase livestock offtake in the short term but in
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