Revival of traditional best practices for rangeland restoration under climate change in the dry areas

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the benefits of reintroducing traditional grazing systems practices for improving arid rangelands. Grazing is the most extensive land use in southern Tunisia, but the rangelands have suffered many decades of severe degradation due to profound socioeconomic changes and the emergence of an agro-pastoral society in place of the former pastoral one. Traditional grazing systems (gdel and herd mobility), which had historically allowed for grazing deferment and control of grazing livestock were abandoned. Yet grazing management strategies are important tools to sustain integrated livestock rangeland production systems in dry areas in the face of ongoing climate change and human pressure. Design/methodology/approach This study assesses the revival of traditional best practices of rangeland resting in a representative community. Total plant cover, species composition, flora richness and range production were determined in six rangeland sites subjected respectively to one, two and three years of rest; one and two years of light grazing after rest; and free grazing (control). Findings Results showed that dry rangelands keep their resilience to the negative effects of climate change once human pressure is controlled. A maximum of two years of rest is enough to sustainably manage the rangelands in southern Tunisia, as this protection showed considerable and positive effects on the parameters scored. Originality/value The revival of the traditional best practices under new arrangements adapted to current biophysical and socioeconomic conditions would be an excellent tool to mitigate the negative effects of frequent droughts and reduce the animal feed costs that poor farmers face.

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

“…In arid rangelands, grazing exclusion at specific periods is required. Nonetheless, the duration of these rest periods depends on the plant community, the degree of prior grazing pressure, and the climatic conditions [14].…”

“…Livestock grazing exclusion or the rangeland resting technique is a common traditional practice in the region. In fact, most rangeland improvement projects in southern Tunisia are using the resting technique (locally known as Gdel or Hima) to restore degraded arid rangelands [14]. This technique is considered by many authors among the most cost-effective restoration practices [7,14,15].…”

“…In fact, most rangeland improvement projects in southern Tunisia are using the resting technique (locally known as Gdel or Hima) to restore degraded arid rangelands [14]. This technique is considered by many authors among the most cost-effective restoration practices [7,14,15]. Under the Hima system, the grazing land is protected by the local pastoral communities from livestock grazing and wood harvesting for a certain period of time.…”

Community diversity, functional traits and adaptation of Stipa tenacissima L. under different grazing regimes in a North African arid montane rangeland

“…This may indicate a higher capacity of mountain ecosystems to withstand drought and disturbance. The early grazing effects can explain the low presence of annuals in the grazed sites (continuous and/or seasonal), since livestock prefer to graze the fresh annual species before perennials (Ouled Belgacem et al 2019). The functioning of an ecosystem is closely linked with its biodiversity.…”

Characterizing Biomass Yield and Nutritional Value of Selected Indigenous Range Species from Arid Tunisia

“…Livestock feed resources in the southern region of Tunisia include natural rangelands, crop residue and agroindustrial by-products, of which the first contribute the largest share. Despite the significant degradation of these rangelands as a result of overgrazing and climate change, they remain the predominant and most cost-effective natural source of nutrients for ruminants [12,13].…”