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
production in the arid lands (Solh et al., 2003). There is a wide availability of technology
developed in Mexico for arid land management; however, its integration to rangeland
conservation has been conditioned to the scarce Ejidatario’s risk capacity, both, economically
and technologically.
Culture for Cattle Production
Nowadays, due to market pressure, “cattle culture” posses new components to maintain industry
cost-effectiveness as well as ecosystem persistence within healthy levels. Herds are comparable
among years and among owners through diverse measures for efficiency, resultant from the
cattleman ability and interest on efficiency improvements, without damage to their land
productivity, these include: age at first calving, calving intervals, percentages of calving ,
weaning percentages, calve weaning weights, age to market, weight to several ages, weight to
market, carcass weight, etc. Those represent important parameters to be improved through
good management technology, without grassland detriment condition. Most Ejidatarios do not
utilize those standard values to define herd efficiency. Valuable knowledge for herd efficiency
parameters and the way to improve them will result in efficient production schemes and
renewable resources from the rangeland, mainly, due to the fact that supporting rangeland
condition will be reflected on an increased and sustained productivity. Cultural support to the
rangeland, unknown in Mexico, will result in a better life quality and income for land owners. The
constant is to remain alert to rangeland and herd efficiency requirements. Programs for cattle
culture promotion among the producers have been developed in Mexico (Roman et al., 2001),
those represent an excellent initiative; however, cattlemen assimilation has been extremely slow,
mainly due to the scarce support to the program and to the generated advising dependence
from the extensionist. The success of these programs for cattle production and culture
promotion at least may result in efficient rangeland destruction, if it does not promote
improvement rangeland cultural activities, opposed to free grazer’s scheme. The best situation
will result of the integration of cattle with rangeland culture.
CONCLUSIONS
• Livestock production on rangeland represents the soundest utilization of arid
ecosystems. The challenge for arid rangelands is to produce under ecologically friendly
conditions.
• Rangeland management schemes must consider drought and low winter temperatures
as constant phenomena.
• Common land property systems tie peasants to inefficient production systems which
have promoted migration.
• Any land property system resultant to PROCEDE program, must establish and enforce
rules for grassland use. Traditional support for uncontrolled grazing must be eliminated.
• Rain-fed agriculture and stubble grazing is the fastest way to desertification.
• Technological development to improve successful rain-fed activities with perennial
grasses, supporting arid rangelands is a requirement for research development.
CITED LITERATURE
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