Grasslands of the World.pdf - Disasters and Conflicts - UNEP

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Grasslands of the world
fallen into disrepair over large areas so these tracts are less used by herders, to
the benefit of wildlife (Plate 12.3).
The livestock industry in China , including extensive grazing , was collectivized
in the 1950s, but herds were still managed in transhumant systems . After
decollectivization, livestock was allocated to families and grazing land has also
been distributed according to the 1985 law. The allocation of relatively small
areas of semi -arid grassland to families has greatly reduced herd mobility . This
may have been a contributing factor in the serious deterioration of the country’s
grazing lands. Currently, 90 percent of grassland shows signs of deterioration,
of which moderately degraded grassland is 32.5 percent. The government
is taking vigorous measures to deal with grassland degradation through its
Planning Programme of National Ecological Environment Construction and
Outline of Fifteenth Ten-Year Plan. Like elsewhere in China, Tibet ’s grasslands
suffered from a very sharp increase in stock numbers at the onset of collectivization
in the mid-twentieth century. Numbers stabilized, but pasture condition
is mediocre. The grasslands have been allocated to families in relatively small
units and it remains to be seen how effective management will be of small areas
of semi-arid risk -prone grassland.
In the Hindu Kush-Himalaya region there is extreme pressure on such
extensive grazing lands as remain. The alpine pastures do get a seasonal rest
during snow cover, but elsewhere there is constant grazing (except on seasonally
closed hay land) from sedentary stock owners, and periodic grazing by
transhumants. Because of the very high human population, all possible land has
been cleared for crop production.
The situation in the Near East is similar to that in North Africa . Breakdown
of tribal authority led to the disruption of traditional grazing rights and migration
patterns. Purchased feed and availability of transport and water supplies
enabled much larger numbers of stock to be kept through the lean season, and
pastures were no longer rested once surface water supplies ran out. The human
population and livestock numbers have multiplied. Much semi -arid pasture has
been ploughed for unproductive cropping. Uprooting of bushes for fuel is very
damaging to the pastoral vegetation .
Turkey has changed in the past century from a mainly pastoral country
to one where crop production is very important. This meant a great reduction
in the area of grassland , but there was no concomitant reduction in livestock,
which increased in numbers. Later intensification of cropping systems
replaced grazed fallow with pulses and other cash crops , further reducing
grazing resource s . Turkey’s pastures are now stocked well above their carrying
capacity . The land tenure system is a major constraint to grassland management
. Common areas are grazed free of charge, so are not managed properly.
Boundaries of pastures are not clearly determined nor assigned to village communities
. Labour is becoming scarce in pastoral areas as people move to towns,
so flocks are not well herded.