Rangelands: Overgrazing Deforestation Desertification

RANGELANDS
Overgrazing
Deforestation
Desertification
Rangelands
are vast natural landscapes in the
form of grasslands,shrublands, woodland s, wetlands, and deserts

do not include barren desert,
farmland, closed canopy forests, or land covered by solid rock, concrete
Rangelands
are distinguished
from pasture
pasture is land used
for grazing
Types of Rangeland
Grasslands
are areas where the vegetation is
dominated by grasses and other herbaceous plants

occur naturally on all continents
except Antarctica
An Inner Mongolian grassland in the People's Republic of China
Shrubland
is a plant community characterized
by vegetation dominated by shrubs, often also including grasses, herbs, and geophytes may be unsuitable for human habitation because of the danger of fire.
Scrub vegetation with cactus in Webb County in South Texas
Prairie
is considered part of the temperate
grasslands, savannas and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the dominant vegetation type.
Prairie, Badlands National Park, South Dakota, USA
Savanna
is
a grassland ecosystem characterize d by the trees being sufficiently small or widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to support an unbroken herbaceous layer
Typical tropical savanna in Northern Australia
Steppe
it refers to a biome region
characterized by grass land plain without trees apart from those near rivers and lakes
Prairie in Alberta, Canada
Woodland
is a low-density forest forming open
habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade. Woodlands may support an understory of shrubs and herbaceous plants including grasses
A woodland ecosystem at Morton Arboretum in Illinois
Desert
is a landscape or region that
receives an extremely low amount of precipitation, less than enough to support growth of most plant
The Great Victoria Desert in Australia
Tundra
is a biome where the tree growth is hindered by
low temperatures and short growing seasons. In tundra, the vegetation is composed of dwarf shrubs, sedges and grasses, mosses, and lichens. Scattered trees grow in some tundra.
Tundra in Greenland
Overgrazing
Overgrazing
occurs when plants are exposed to
intensive grazing for extended periods of time, or without sufficient recovery periods. it can be caused by either livestock in poorly managed agricultural applications, or by overpopulations of native or non-native wild animals.
Overgrazing
reduces the
usefulness, productivity, and biodiversity of the land and is one cause of desertification and erosion
To avoid overgrazing on areas of natural or semi-natural vegetation, you should:

only graze as many animals as the vegetation
will support, taking into account the most sensitive habitats reduce livestock numbers in autumn and winter, when plant growth slows or stops - use away wintering and housing where possible avoid using supplementary feeding to support animals on unproductive land, except when the weather is particularly hard
reduce stock numbers if there is frequent bare
ground, suppressed heather or grass sward heights under five centimetres for rough grassland, and three centimetres reduce stock numbers in woodlands if animals frequently strip bark and/or destroy young sapling trees maintain boundary fences to control movement of stock shepherd open hill land to distribute grazing pressure evenly and avoid localised overgrazing control the spread of bracken to maintain grass and heather areas
Deforestation
Deforestation
is the removal of a forest or stand of trees where
the land is thereafter converted to a non-forest use

examples of deforestation include conversion of
forestland to farms, ranches, or urban use
Causes of Deforestation
conversion of forests and woodlands to
agricultural land to feed growing numbers of people; development of cash crops and cattle ranching, both of which earn money for tropical countries; commercial logging (which supplies the world market with woods such as meranti, teak, mahogany and ebony) destroys trees as well as opening up forests for agriculture; felling of trees for firewood and building material; the heavy lopping of foliage for fodder; and heavy browsing of saplings by domestic animals like goats.
Effects of Deforestation
Erosion of Soil
Disruption of the Water Cycle

Loss of Biodiversity Flooding and Drought Climate Change
Solutions to Deforestation
Reforestation
Legislation
Wildlife Sanctuaries Cities Incentive to Corporates Commercial Forest Plantations Water Management
Desertification
Desertification
is a type of land degradation in which a
relatively dry land region becomes increasingly arid it is caused by a variety of factors, such as climate change and human activities
is also the process of fertile land transforming into
desert typically as a result of deforestation, drought or improper/inappropriate agriculture
Causes of Desertification
Overgrazing is the major cause of
desertification worldwide. Cultivation of marginal lands, i.e lands on which there is a high risk of crop failure and a very low economic return. Destruction of vegetation in arid regions, often for fuelwood. Incorrect irrigation practices in arid areas can cause salinization, (the build up of salts in the soil) which can prevent plant growth.
The Effects of Desertification

Soil becomes less usable
Vegetation is Lacked or Damaged

Causes Famine
Food Loss
People near Affected Areas
Solution to Desertification
Tree planting
No till/low till farming

Alternative energy (to relieve
fuelwood fuelwood pressure) Livestock management

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RANGELANDS

form of grasslands,shrublands, woodland s, wetlands, and deserts

farmland, closed canopy forests, or land covered by solid rock, concrete

dominated by grasses and other herbaceous plants

An Inner Mongolian grassland in the People's Republic of China

Scrub vegetation with cactus in Webb County in South Texas

Prairie, Badlands National Park, South Dakota, USA

Typical tropical savanna in Northern Australia

Prairie in Alberta, Canada

A woodland ecosystem at Morton Arboretum in Illinois

The Great Victoria Desert in Australia

To avoid overgrazing on areas of natural or semi-natural vegetation, you should:

reduce stock numbers if there is frequent bare

the land is thereafter converted to a non-forest use

forestland to farms, ranches, or urban use

Disruption of the Water Cycle

desert typically as a result of deforestation, drought or improper/inappropriate agriculture

The Effects of Desertification

Vegetation is Lacked or Damaged

No till/low till farming

fuelwood fuelwood pressure) Livestock management

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