ecosystem services to and from north american arid ... - Conabio

IV SIMPOSIO INTERNACIONAL DE PASTIZALES
San Luis Potosí, S.L.P. México; 22 al 24 de agosto de 2007
Artículos in extenso
Área temática: Transferencia de Tecnología
pressure reduction in the rangeland as well as promotion of key plant species vigor, which
survive natural and extreme recurrent droughts, are the best allies to control Mexican
rangelands degradation. Rangeland ecosystem stability is more important than forage
production optimization (forage compensatory growth; McNaughton, 1979). Productive
standpoint becomes irrelevant when the ecosystem (Briske, 1993) and the rural communities
immerse in the rangeland existence are under risk, because of desert advancement effects. In
order to preserve rangeland ecosystems as well as a sustained productivity, it is a must that
shareholders establish and respect rangeland utilization rules (Ash and McIvor, 2005), becoming
expert active managers and promoters of an optimal rangeland condition. Unfortunately, these
aspects for common grazing areas in Northern Mexico are not practiced.
Unavoidable Arrangement
If rangeland preservation for future generations is intended, there is an unavoidable
arrangement to be established in order to promote a balanced utilization of rangeland resources
within the common property:
To establish, enforce and respect rules for common grazing land use
Ejido council, as the principal authority for the common lands, promotes, supports, and change
rules with the members consent; however, within an assembly meeting, the influence of skilled
leaders is higher, and regrettably they have particular interests on the common land resources
utilization. Women participation that would impact the basic family unit parameters: health,
education, nutrition, etc., is practically non-existent during these meetings. Neither differential
animal property with respect to shareholders membership nor the cattle number allowed for
member is ever commented under the council meetings. Decision on the animal number
maintained under grazing, relies under the personal interest and economical capacity of each
member to manage and sustain the cattle, during famine or drought. However, constant
overgrazing of the common rangeland must not be considered as “traditional custom”
management, it must be discussed and grazing rules must be firmly established in the Ejido
council assembly. There are no rules or leader’s interest for the rangeland conservation, as it
occurs within successful common land pastoral tribes. Owing to the lack or use of land rules,
there is not official or NGO program or technical strategy that will overcome the precarious
rangeland condition to rangeland healthy levels (Ash and McIvor, 2005).
Climatic information algorithms proportion highly confident and precise information and these
must be utilized for early or fast detection of imminent droughts, this information is becoming a
valuable tool to reduce the desertification effects on the rangeland, based on computational and
space technology available to date. Traditional lack of precise information can be easily
overcome in order to take opportune decisions to promote rangeland’s well being (Thornton,
2005). Abused rangelands vegetation, will lack of a good productive response capability once
the natural conditions (temperature and humidity) are optimal for photosynthesis, during the
rainy season. Incident sun energy over most of arid Northern Mexico is adapted as heat,
reflected and transformed into carbohydrates with a low efficiency due to poor plant coverage.
Rangeland condition demands rules for its use through its condition expression. The problem
surges from the lack of social and political interest within Mexico; rangeland ecosystem
maintenance and improvement importance has not been conceptualized as a priority, although,
the desert advancement effects on rural and urban villages immerses within it.
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