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

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Grasslands of the world
Plate 2.8
Acacia bushland near Nakuru, Kenya, supports endangered Rothchild’s giraffe.
tion of traditional systems and people. Only recently have issues of integrated
natural resource management and full involvement of stakeholders been given
attention, although there remain problems in reaching the local people through
public sector organizations (de Haan and Gilles, 1994).
Traditional management systems by pastoralists recognized the need for
controlled access to conserve the biodiversity and allow the rangeland to recover.
Traditional grazing systems are more effective for sustainable resource use
and maintenance of rangeland condition (Pratt and Gwynne, 1977). However,
the traditional systems are under threat from increased livestock populations
and decreased grazing lands , resulting in increased grazing pressure . This is
already being recognized by Boran pastoralists in Ethiopia, who perceive
that the condition of the rangelands is poor compared to 30 to 40 years ago
(Angassa and Beyene, 2003) and consider the rangelands degraded and their
livestock production declining.
Annual variation in amount and distribution of rainfall , together with grazing
, fire and human activities, results in wide variation in grassland productivity
(Walker, 1993). Rangeland ecosystems are very resilient and recover well
when there is sufficient rainfall and controlled use of the resources . Range
condition is dependent on both the grazing system , considered as timing and
frequency of grazing, and grazing intensity, defined as the cumulative effects
grazing animals have on rangelands during a particular period (Holechek et
al., 1998). Grazing intensity is closely associated with livestock productivity,
trends in ecological conditions, forage production, catchment status and soil
C.J. WILSON