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Rangeland Biodiversity and Climate Variability: Supporting the Need for Flexible Grazing Management

Author

Listed:
  • Mounir Louhaichi

    (International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), Tunis 1004, Tunisia)

  • Mouldi Gamoun

    (International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), Tunis 1004, Tunisia)

  • Farah Ben Salem

    (Institut des Régions Arides, Medenine 4191, Tunisia)

  • Azaiez Ouled Belgacem

    (Food & Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Riyadh 11421, Saudi Arabia)

Abstract

Resting or grazing exclusion is an effective practice widely adopted to restore degraded, arid rangelands. To understand its effect on plant diversity, we studied Hill’s diversity indices during two growing seasons (2017–2019). The experiment consisted of a three-level factorial design with four plant communities subjected to different resting durations (one, two, and three years) compared to continuously grazed areas (control). The results showed that rainfall plays an important role in arid rangeland restoration. Under favorable conditions, one-year grazing exclusion considerably enhanced species richness and evenness diversity compared to longer resting durations under dry to average rainfall conditions. The decision to how long livestock grazing exclusion would last should not be decided upfront as it depends on the climatic and the site-specific conditions. The findings of this study will have vital management implications for development agencies. Knowing that short grazing exclusion with adequate rainfall amount and distribution could be enough and offers a cost-effective technical option to ensure the sustainable restoration of arid rangeland. This flexible grazing management would also be more acceptable by the pastoral communities. Longer resting periods could have detrimental effects on arid rangeland vegetation, in addition to adding more pressure on the remaining rangeland areas open to grazing.

Suggested Citation

  • Mounir Louhaichi & Mouldi Gamoun & Farah Ben Salem & Azaiez Ouled Belgacem, 2021. "Rangeland Biodiversity and Climate Variability: Supporting the Need for Flexible Grazing Management," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(13), pages 1-16, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:13:p:7124-:d:581829
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Jerry L. Holechek & Hatim M. E. Geli & Andres F. Cibils & Mohammed N. Sawalhah, 2020. "Climate Change, Rangelands, and Sustainability of Ranching in the Western United States," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(12), pages 1-24, June.
    2. Katja Tielbörger & Mark C. Bilton & Johannes Metz & Jaime Kigel & Claus Holzapfel & Edwin Lebrija-Trejos & Irit Konsens & Hadas A. Parag & Marcelo Sternberg, 2014. "Middle-Eastern plant communities tolerate 9 years of drought in a multi-site climate manipulation experiment," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 5(1), pages 1-9, December.
    3. Suizi Wang & Jiangwen Fan & Yuzhe Li & Lin Huang, 2019. "Effects of Grazing Exclusion on Biomass Growth and Species Diversity among Various Grassland Types of the Tibetan Plateau," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(6), pages 1-13, March.
    4. Azaiez Ouled Belgacem & Mounir Louhaichi, 2013. "The vulnerability of native rangeland plant species to global climate change in the West Asia and North African regions," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 119(2), pages 451-463, July.
    5. Mouldi Gamoun & Mounir Louhaichi, 2021. "Botanical Composition and Species Diversity of Arid and Desert Rangelands in Tataouine, Tunisia," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(3), pages 1-12, March.
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