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Rangelands are places of important biodiversity and ecosystem services that occupy up to half of all land and up to three quarters of the world’s drylands, providing benefits to local communities, to economies and to global society. Desertification, or land degradation in the drylands, significantly affects rangelands, but in many countries measure...
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... Degradation in the Drylands, otherwise known as Desertification, is a major global environmental and developmental concern; yet in current discourse on combatting desertification many countries pay minimal attention to the rangelands. The majority of rangelands-some three quarters-are drylands and the majority of drylands-some two thirds- are rangelands. In this Technical Brief we focus on the intersection of drylands and rangelands to examine major knowledge, investment and policy gaps in achieving the objectives of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification. This Technical Brief examines the current discourse on desertification, the shortcomings in relation to rangelands, drivers of degradation in the rangelands, and proven options for more sustainable rangelands development. This Brief in particular demonstrates the potential synergy between Sustainable Land Management practices and the halting of land degradation, conservation of biodiversity and ecosystem services, and climate change adaptation and mitigation. Drylands encompass some of the world's most important land use systems and a significant proportion of biodiversity. They provide 44% of the world's cultivated systems, 50% of the world's livestock 1 , and contain a variety of important habitats for vegetable species, fruit trees and micro-organisms 2 . They host some of the most unique biologically and culturally diverse habitats on the planet and feature high levels of species endemism. Drylands contain 28% of all surface cover of Alliance for Zero Extinction sites; these are sites supporting the last remaining populations of Endangered or Critically Endangered species, as listed on the IUCN Red List. They hold 30% of the total area of sites of important biodiversity, 35% of the global Biodiversity Hotspot Area and 28% of the total area of World Heritage Sites ( Davies et al., 2012 Drylands are tropical and temperate areas with an aridity index of less than 0.65 that collectively comprise nearly half of the land mass: 41.3% of the earth surface. About 72% of drylands occur in developing countries and this proportion increases with aridity: almost 100% of all hyper-arid lands are in the developing world . Drylands can be classified into four categories based on precipitation: dry sub-humid, semi-arid, arid, and hyper-arid lands (Figure 1). Within these four subtypes land use is significantly influenced by rainfall, with crop production declining rapidly with increasing aridity (Figure 2). Moreover, drylands are home to a third of all humanity (about 2.5 billion people) with the majority of these people living in developing countries. Many drylands are therefore associated with poverty, for example having high levels of adult female illiteracy and child mortality (Middleton et al., 2011). Dryland inhabitants are often marginalised from development and policy processes, as well as political discourses, and in many countries dryland peoples have for long been denied sustainable development and related appropriate investments. This has contributed to entrenching a profound misunderstanding of drylands environments, leading to inappropriate and even detrimental interventions (Mortimore et al. ...
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... Some investment opportunities for SRLM and restoration include: (i) information technology for extensive livestock production; (ii) rangeland-adapted infrastructure (e.g., mobile abattoirs, collective processing facilities) and livestock health services; (iii) sustainable value chains for food and fibre; and (iv) insurance and riskprevention mechanisms. 708 As rangelands provide critical ecosystem services, investments can also be linked to direct payments, carbon and biodiversity markets, wildfire prevention contracts, vegetation control in protected habitats, management area leases, etc. 709 Some donors consider pastoralism a priority for direct investment, such as projects targeting financial resilience in African pastoralist communities funded by bilateral donors and multilateral development institutions (e.g., ILRI-CGIAR, World Bank, USAID, UKAid). United Nations entities, such as the UNCCD and FAO, have intensified their capacity building work in support of sustainable pastoralism to explore new sources of funding for transformative projects and programmes. ...
The report explores the complex environmental, social, and economic dimensions that link rangelands and local communities. It describes the important role and untapped potential of pastoralism and extensive livestock management systems to contribute to a just transition, climate resilience, and more equitable rural development, recognising that many of the challenges confronting rangelands originate beyond local communities and are not under their control.
... Rangelands are defined ecologically as "land on which the indigenous vegetation is predominantly grasses, grass-like plants that are grazed and have the potential to be grazed, and which is used as a natural ecosystem for the production of grazing livestock and wildlife" (Allen et al., 2011). However, in social terms, rangelands relate to the management unit of extensive livestock keepers and comprise a broader range of ecosystems and other resource zones, such as forest, wetlands, and ecosystems (Davies et al., 2015). The rangeland ecosystem contributes significantly to global economic value by providing ecosystem services and biodiversity products. ...
Rangeland degradation is a significant threat to people in dryland areas, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa like Ethiopia. Rehabilitation of degraded land is challenging due to moisture limitations and drought. This study evaluated rangeland-based integrated watershed management. Three soil and moisture conservation structures were applied, and multipurpose tree/shrub species like Faidherbia albida, Melia azedarach, and Moringa stenopetala were planted. Data on indigenous plant species regeneration, diversity, species richness and biomass, survival rate, and height growth of planted tree species were collected. After the intervention, the indigenous plant species' regeneration, diversity, and richness significantly increased. The mean indigenous plant species richness, biomass, and basal cover were highest in half-moon followed by soil level bund and, lowest in control. The survival rate and the height growth of all planted MPTs species were better under Negarim and half-moon and lowest under control treatments. This suggests that soil and moisture conservation structures are more suitable than the conventional method of rehabilitation of indigenous plant species and tree planting. Even though the survival and growth of tree seedlings were best under Negarim, the herbaceous diversity, biomass, and basal cover of herbaceous were low, and construction of this structure was labor incentives than the other two structures.
... Most researchers indicate the susceptibility of rangeland to climate change in combination with the threat of pastoralist livelihood that results from poor management. Rangeland enclosure enhances the adaptation of impacts from climate extremes by: 1. reducing yearly grazing intensity at a site [71] 2. producing huge amounts of pasture biomass [72] 3. indirectly reducing the grazing pressure or intensity of other grazing sites using the livestock feed obtained from enclosures [72] 4. Creating a remarkable feature of the range ecosystem leads to income generation through ecotourism because ecotourism is one means of climate change adaptation measures in pastoralist areas [73]. ...
... Drylands face complex challenges due to natural and anthropogenic causes affecting sustainable livelihoods and environmental and social resilience. Recurrent drought and water scarcity are serious natural challenges that are exacerbated by climate variability and changes (Davies et al., 2015;AhmedHayat et al., 2022). Land and soil degradation caused by deforestation, loss of organic matter, and soil erosion by water and wind aggravate the rate of desertification in dryland areas (James and Reynolds, 2007). ...
Drylands cover about 41% of the terrestrial land being inhabited by more than a third of the global population supporting mainly grazing, crop cultivation, and natural forests. Based on precipitation and atmospheric demand of evapotranspiration, they can be divided into four categories: hyper-arid, arid, semi-arid, and dry subhumid areas (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, 2005; UNEP-WCMC, 2007). Drylands face complex challenges due to natural and anthropogenic causes affecting sustainable livelihoods and environmental and social resilience. Recurrent drought and water scarcity are serious natural challenges that are exacerbated by climate variability and changes (Davies et al., 2015; AhmedHayat et al., 2022). Land and soil degradation caused by deforestation, loss of organic matter, and soil erosion by water and wind aggravate the rate of desertification in dryland areas (James and Reynolds, 2007). Various technological and institutional innovations in soil and water management have been put in place across the world (Marques et al., 2016; Wolka et al., 2018; Piemontese et al., 2023). Restoration of degraded drylands through area enclosures, physical and biological soil and water conservation practices, soil carbon management, and the use of deficit and supplemental irrigation have supported sustainable intensification in dryland areas (Ruiz-Sanchez et al., 2010; Stroosnijder et al., 2012; Rockström et al., 2014; Mekonnen et al., 2015). However, the available technologies and knowledge are not sufficient to tackle the complex challenges of soil and water resources management sustainably in dryland areas. Therefore, the aim of this Research Topic was to gather interdisciplinary studies focusing on innovations and new approaches for the advancement of soil and water management in dryland areas. The world cloud clearly indicated the level of importance of the different topics in this Research Topic
... Drylands face complex challenges due to natural and anthropogenic causes affecting sustainable livelihoods and environmental and social resilience. Recurrent drought and water scarcity are serious natural challenges that are exacerbated by climate variability and changes (Davies et al., 2015;AhmedHayat et al., 2022). Land and soil degradation caused by deforestation, loss of organic matter, and soil erosion by water and wind aggravate the rate of desertification in dryland areas (James and Reynolds, 2007). ...
... Map showing the geographical location of the study area in the world while highlighting the drylands(Metternicht et al. 2015). b An ground surface elevation map of Central Asia (Shuttle Radar Topography Mission data) ...
As a globally important arid region, Central Asia has attracted considerable attention owing to the water crisis. However, a systematic review of large-scale hydrological processes in this region is lacking, leading to a limited understanding regarding this topic. Thus, by collecting published hydrogen and oxygen isotopic data for precipitation, river water, and groundwater in Central Asia, a comprehensive stable isotopic and hydrochemical database was created for the first time to clarify the isotopic signatures of water from different sources and the evolution processes of river water and groundwater. The local meteoric water line was derived from the stable isotopic precipitation values and defined as δD = 7.52 δ18O + 6.29 (R2 = 0.9515; n = 185); thereafter, the hydrological processes were tracked by comparing the isotopic characteristics of the water samples. A close relationship between river water and precipitation was revealed. In addition, the ionic ratios indicate that chemical weathering controls the chemical composition of river water upstream, and evaporation is the main factor controlling the chemical composition of river water downstream. Owing to their high total hardness values, most river water and groundwater are suitable for irrigation, but not for drinking. In the future, long-term field observations of isotopic and ionic compositions from river water, groundwater, and glacier meltwater should be intensified because the baseline of these data is still insufficient. The results of this study provide a significant opportunity to explore the hydrological processes and the evolution of water resources in Central Asia due to global climate change.
... Recent well documented examples for the hazardous aspects of aeolian transport can be found in the Nile region (El Gammal and El Gammal 2010;Eljack et al. 2010;Verstraeten et al. 2014;Saad et al. 2018), Western Asia (Al-Ghamdi and Hermas 2015; Pradhan et al. 2018;Amin and Seif 2019) as well as Western Africa (Ikazaki 2015;Benjaminsen and Hiernaux 2019;Yang et al. 2022). Due to land degradation, desertification and ongoing climate change, this threat is expected to increase dramatically and to occur in additional regions worldwide in the coming years (Davies et al. 2015;Reed and Stringer 2015;Shukla et al. 2019). ...
Aeolian dune movement poses a threat to critical infrastructure, urban areas, water resources as well as agriculture. This threat is expected to increase in the coming years due to land degradation, desertification and climate change. Several approaches have been used to investigate the evolution of dune fields. Satellite remote sensing can be considered one of the most accurate tools for the continuous monitoring of global sand covered surfaces. Although early studies found a great potential in synthetic aperture radar (SAR) for dune assessment, the full potential has not been explored as of yet. Therefore, in this study, we present a novel method for assessing complex dune field morphology based on the easily accessible and globally available Sentinel-1 ground range detected (GRD) SAR dataset. In this application, dune features are extracted based on backscatter properties related to the local incidence angle. This provides a clear identification of (1) active dune sand, (2) dune ridges and (3) inter-dune ripples. By extracting these features through profiles, the multi-timescale evolution of the Western Mongolian dune field Bor Khyar was analysed through three areas of interest (AOIs) based on the spectral technique of continuous wavelets. The result of this investigation gives new insights into the temporal and spatial dynamics of dunes scale and their response to aeolian activity, revealing differences in aeolian activity as well as inter- and intra-annual variations in the dune morphology. These results are promising and highlight the potential in using satellite SAR imagery for dune monitoring.
... Land degradation resulting from the adverse impact of climatic variations and human activities across the arid, semiarid and dry, humid regions of the world could be termed desertification (UNEP, 1992). Recent estimates indicated that about 41% of the earth surface (dryland systems) is currently either deserts or under the threat of desertification (Davies et al., 2015). Estimates by the UN put the annual loss to desertification at around 6 million hectares of productive land, and the loss of arable land per person was projected to drop to around 0.16ha from 0.21ha in 1998 (Saier, 2010). ...
Desertification has been identified as the resultant effect of dryland loss. Desertification is catalysed by anthropogenic modifications and variations in environmental/climatic conditions. The situation in Nigeria is further exacerbated by the growing demand for land by the population. To this effect, this study performed a space-time analysis of vegetative cover between 2001 and 2020 to unravel patterns and trends across the semiarid region of the dryland system in Nigeria. The dynamics during the rainy season (May and September) were examined using the Terra Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) dataset subjected to space-time analysis. Generalised Difference Vegetation Index (GDVI) was computed to the power of 2 to quantify vegetative cover across the study area. The results showed that the average of the GDVI ranges between -0.40 and 0.94, with a standard deviation of 0.11. Time series cluster analysis revealed that there are two temporal clusters: (1) no statistically significant trend (Statistics= 1.33, p-value = 0.18) and (2) statistically significant downtrend (Statistics = -2.37, p=0.02), with cluster 1 covering 95% of the areas examined. The most dominant (97% of the area) emerging space-time pattern was cold-spots (persistent, diminishing, sporadic, oscillating, and historical types). In conclusion, most of the areas showed no definite temporal pattern of vegetation pattern during the period, while more than 90% of the areas have witnessed a decline in vegetative cover. There is a need for a more coordinated approach to desertification control, constant monitoring is pertinent while new approaches to restoring degraded land are recommended.
... Bharal has a high-diet overlap with livestock, as both primarily consume grasses and sedges during the summer (Mishra et al. 2004, Shrestha and Wegge 2008, Bhattacharya et al. 2012. Livestock grazing intensity has increased markedly in the last 50 years (Davies et al. 2015) on the Tibetan Plateau and has also caused extensive grassland degradation (Harris 2010, Dong et al. 2012, Wang et al. 2015, thereby increasing competition between livestock and wild ungulates. However, we do not know how snow leopards and bharal are responding to this change. ...
There is an increasing emphasis in conservation strategies for large carnivores on facilitating their coexistence with humans. Justification for coexistence strategies should be based on a quantitative assessment of currently remaining large carnivores in human‐dominated landscapes. An essential part of a carnivore's coexistence strategy has to rely on its prey. In this research, we studied snow leopards Panthera uncia whose habitat mainly comprises human‐dominated, unprotected areas, to understand how a large carnivore and its primary prey, the bharal Pseudois nayaur, could coexist with human land use activities in a large proportion of its range. Using a combination of livestock census, camera trapping and wildlife surveys, across a broad gradient of livestock grazing intensity in a 363 000 km² landscape on the Tibetan Plateau, we found no evidence of livestock grazing impacts on snow leopard habitat use, bharal density and spatial distribution, even though livestock density was 13 times higher than bharal density. Bharal were found to prefer utilizing more rugged habitats at higher elevations with lower grass forage conditions, whereas livestock dominated in flat valleys at lower elevations with higher productivity, especially during the resource‐scarce season. These findings suggest that the spatial niche separation between bharal and livestock, together with snow leopards' specialized bharal diet, minimized conflicts and allowed snow leopards and bharal to coexist in landscapes dominated by livestock grazing. In recent years, reduced hunting and nomadic herder's lifestyle changes towards permanent residence may have further reinforced this spatial separation. Our results indicated that, for developing conservation strategies for large carnivores, the niche of their prey in relation to human land‐use is a key variable that needs to be evaluated.
... Global drylands cover 47% of the earth's surface and consist of the dry sub-humid, semi-arid, arid, and hyper-arid regions (Dregne, 2002;Lal, 2004). The majority of the world's drylands are rangelands (Davies et al., 2015) which are areas where fodder grows naturally but are less suitable for arable farming due to low and erratic rainfall, or poor soil fertility, rough terrains, or rockiness (Herrera et al., 2014;Lund, 2007). Importantly, rangelands provide a set of ecosystem services and account for 91% of grazing lands (Asner et al., 2004) that support 50% of the world's livestock (UN Decade for Deserts and the Fight against Desertification, 2020). ...
Restoration of the degraded rangelands in Jordan using mechanized water harvesting and native species planting has become key to enhancing and maintaining the productivity and resilience of fragile ecosystems. A balanced interaction between the rangeland's hydrology and vegetation states is vital for achieving long-term sustainability. To gain a better insight into the impact of restoration on surface runoff and erosion and its role in recovering the ecosystem functions, we used the Rangeland Hydrological and Erosion Model (RHEM) to simulate various vegetation scenarios. Our research aims to understand the rangelands' water and sediment dynamics and the vegetation transition states of the ecosystem through evaluating the current (degraded) situation, assess the restoration approach on improving the degraded status (restored), and investigate the long-term sustainability of the restoration approach compared with historical rangeland conditions (baseline). Several scenarios were developed with rangeland experts, local community representatives, and measurements at protected and restored areas to represent the rangeland conditions. We found that restoration of the degraded Badia areas will decrease annual surface runoff from an average of 23.5 to 19.1 mm/year and soil erosion rate from 3.3 to 1.3 tons/ha. With time, restoration can bring back rangeland water and sediment dynamics closer towards the baseline conditions, which were 16.9 mm/year runoff rates and 0.85 ton/ha/year soil loss. The results indicate that restoration is a promising methodology to restore the degraded ecosystem and approximate the environment's historical hydrological regime.
