abstract: Rangelands are an extensive land cover type that cover about 40% of earth’s ice-free surface, expanding into many biomes. Moreover, managing rangelands is crucial for long-term sustainability of the vital ecosystem services they provide including carbon (C) storage via soil organic carbon (SOC) and animal agriculture. Arid rangelands are particularly susceptible to dramatic shifts in vegetation cover, physical and chemical soil properties, and erosion due to grazing pressure. Many studies have documented these effects, but studies focusing on grazing impacts on soil properties, namely SOC, are less common. Furthermore, studies testing effects of different levels of grazing intensities on SOC pools and distribution yield mixed results with little alignment. The primary objective of this thesis was to have a better understanding of the role of grazing intensity on arid rangeland soil C storage. I conducted research in long established pastures in Jornada Experimental Range (JER). I established a 1500m transect in three pastures originating at water points and analyzed vegetation cover and SOC on points along these transects to see the effect of grazing on C storage on a grazing gradient. I used the line-point intercept method to measure and categorize vegetation into grass, bare, and shrub. Since soil adjacent to each of these three cover types will likely contain differing SOC content, I then used this vegetation cover data to calculate the contribution of each cover type to SOC. I found shrub cover and total vegetation cover to decrease, while grass and bare cover increased with decreasing proximity to the water source. I found areal (g/m2) and percent (go SOC to be highest in the first 200m of the transects when accounting for the contribution of the three vegetation cover types. I concluded that SOC is being redistributed toward the water source via foraging and defecation and foraging, due to a negative trend of both total vegetation cover and percent SOC (g/g). With the decreasing trends of vegetation cover and SOC further from pasture water sources, my thesis research contributes to the understanding of storage and distribution of SOC stocks in arid rangelands. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Biology 2018

Involvement in collaborative partnerships in natural resource management has become a popular method for natural resource management agencies to collect public input, cope with conflicts, and develop ecosystem management plans. This thesis evaluates various collaborative processes, emphasizing multiple-owner partnerships. Qualitative interviews of 46 landowners in Utah were conducted to reveal concerns and suggestions regarding multiple-owner landscape-level collaborative partnerships. Landowners were concerned about private property rights infringement and losing control of their private land. Landowners were primarily concerned about the fairness and effectiveness of any partnership in which they were involved. However, they were willing to consider participating if certain procedural and group composition elements were met: realistic goals; compromise or consensus-based decision-making; time efficiency; participant commitment, especially by public land management officials; more weight given to local concerns than non-local concerns; participant knowledge of local ecosystems; and respect among participants. A follow-up study with participants of eight collaborative partnerships in four western states examined the importance of the procedural and group composition elements identified from the landowner interviews, plus one from a literature review, i.e., that participants feel that they have some control and/or a voice in the process. Analysis revealed that all but one of these elements - more weight given to local concerns - were associated with participants' perceptions that their partnership was fair and effective. These elements can be used as guidelines for emerging collaborative partnerships. Participants were overwhelmingly positive in their evaluations of their partnerships, suggesting that there are real benefits of using collaborative processes.

Competition between native perennial grasses and Bromus tectorum has been studied for many years. Recently, soil nutrients have been immobilized in an effort to preferentially inhibit growth of B. tectorum relative to native species. Most of this work has focused on soil N, but interactions with soil P are less studied and may be important as well. Additionally, although competitive effects and nutrient responses of several Centaurea spp. are well documented, data are lacking on the competitive effects that Centaurea virgata exerts on the establishment of native and exotic communities. A field experiment and a greenhouse experiment were conducted to evaluate influence of N and P on the native perennial bunchgrass Pseudoroegneria spicata in competition with B. tectorum and C. virgata. Chapter 2 describes the effects of nutrient immobilization and subsequent 2 x 2 factorial additions of N and P. Treatments were applied to transplanted individuals of the study species in monocultures and mixtures. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed on shoot dry mass, soil water content, and physiological responses including photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, and transpiration. Results suggest that B. tectorum may be P-limited in certain circumstances, and that physiological activity of all species is subject to interactions between available N and P. In Chapter 3, I assess response of the study species to 2 x 2 factorial additions of N and P on a very low-nutrient soil in a greenhouse. Relative effects of different species mixtures on P. spicata are reported. I report ANOVA results of tiller number, leaf number, specific leaf area, shoot dry mass, root dry mass, and water addition. Results indicate that N and P co-limit P. spicata and B. tectorum, and to a lesser extent, C. virgata. B. tectorum showed the highest percentage response to fertilization. Land managers may be more successful establishing native grasses if they can minimize soil fertility.

The free-roaming ruminant requires energy for the demands of vii grazing, traveling and thermoregulation that are not required by its confined counterpart. Literature estimates of these additional costs range from 10 to 170 percent above maintenance. The uncertain magnitude of this increased demand and the factors that contribute to it impede the ability of the rangeland ruminant nutritionist to establish guidelines for the energy requirements of the free-roaming herbivore. This study was designed to estimate the energy expenditure of yearling Angus heifers while grazing a declining supply of available crested wheatgrass forage (Agropyron cristatum) on rangeland in west-central Utah. Free-ranging energy expenditure was estimated twice for four heifers during each of five ten-day periods during June, July August and early September, 1979. These estimates were obtained using the carbon dioxide entry rate technique. In addition, total fecal output, dietary crude protein and dietary in vitro organic matter digestibility were estimated for animals grazing the 20- hectare crested wheatgrass pasture. From these data, daily forage intake was calculated. The level of available forage during each period was estimated using the ocular weight-estimate technique applied on forty 1 m2 circular plots. Energy expenditure was estimated as 161 (with a confidence interval of ±43) kcal·kg body weight-.75.d-1 (n=10), and was independent of the decline in available forage from 880 to 284 kg dry matter·hectare-1 that occurred over the course of the grazing season. Daily intake was 54.5 grams (organic matter basis) per unit body weight.75 for the 305 kg heifers. Daily intake was independent of the supply of available forage. During early July, 1980, crested wheatgrass was harvested as hay and fed to 260 kg yearling Angus heifers in metabolism stalls in a thermoneutral and constantly illuminated laboratory. Daily feeding levels were set at 54.5 grams (organic matter basis) per unit body weight.75. Energy expenditure under these conditions was estimated as 111 (±12) kcal·kg body weight-.75·day-1 , 6 kcal per unit body weight.75 greater than the mean estimate of the fasting metabolism rate. The latter estimate was obtained following a 48-hour fast. These estimates of maintenance and fasting metabolism were combined to provide a mean estimate of 110 (±10) kcal·kg body weight-.75·day-1 (n=14). Of the 45 percent (51 kcal·kg body weight-.75·day-1) increase in the estimated energy expenditures by heifers under free-roaming conditions, 50 percent was attributed to the energetic cost of grazing. A daily average 9.2 hours were spent in this activity. The energetic cost of grazing was assumed as 0.82 kcal·kg body weight-1·hour-1 spent grazing. Daily travel was estimated as 3.9 km at an assumed energetic cost of 0.58 kcal·kg body weight-1·km-1. This accounted for a 20 percent estimated increase in energy expenditure. Average daily temperatures were generally between 12°C and 30°C and thermoregulatory demands were not considered as a substantial energetic expense. The remaining 30 percent (12 kcal) of the additional increment due to free-roaming conditions could not be explained.

This thesis describes the growth of European olive (Olea europaea L.) at three different trial sites located near Laverton, in the north-eastern Goldfields region of Western Australia. The local region comprises part ofthe rangelands area of Australia and has a semi-arid climate. The initial reason for planting olives was indirectly related to the rapid decrease in the local population and the economic downturn that resulted within that community during the late 1990's. This prompted an investigation into other possibilities for economic diversity for remote communities such as Laverton, which are located in the rangelands area of Australia. In Australia, much of the southern and eastern areas of the country have similar climate to traditional olive growing areas in Europe. [n the rangelands however, the environment is different to most other areas in the world where olive trees are grown and there is a notable absence of a commercial olive industry. Whilst locally, individual trees were also observed to be growing well and fruiting abundantly, it is not known whether it is possible to grow olive trees successfully on a commercial scale. Two preliminary trials were established in an ad-hoc manner, to examine whether olive trees could be grown successfully in the rangelands environment. Eighty-eight trees of 5 different cultivars were planted on a shallow, clay soil profile at the first trial site. Ninety-eight trees of 11 different cultivar were planted on a deep sand soil profile at the second site. Higher mortality rate occurred at the first site, with most tree deaths being recorded in the first two years. Peak growth of branch tips occurred during the spring-summer seasons at both sites. Differences in trial design and timing of planting prevented statistical comparison of growth performance between sites however. / A third olive trial, consisting of 3 olive groves was established according to randomised design. In the north and middle groves, 54 trees of 3 different cultivar were planted on a deep alluvial soil profile. In the south grove, 53 trees of 3 different cultivar were planted on a shallow clay soil profile. High mortality rates were recorded at all 3 groves during the first year, as a result of high salinity levels in irrigation water during the establishment period. Overall, most tree mortality was recorded at the south grove. Significantly higher growth performance occurred within the deeper alluvial soil profile at the north and middle groves, compared to the shallow clay soil profile in the south grove. Negligible olive fruit production occurred at the first site. At the second site, small quantities of olive fruit were produced during some seasons only. No olive fruit production occurred at any grove at the randomized site. Successful fruit formation appears directly related to tree health, as a function of water supply. Ripening of olive fruit occurred earlier than at other more temperate olive growing areas of Australia. Similar major and trace element deficiencies occurred at all sites, interpreted to be a function of universal alkaline ground-water conditions. / This study failed to confirm conclusively, whether European olive could be grown successfully in the semi-arid climate, typical of much of the rangelands area of Australia. As a result of the study however, successful growth in this environment is confirmed to be highly dependent on three factors. Firstly, availability of reliable irrigation waters of sufficient quality. Secondly, choice of suitable soil types. Thirdly, selection of suitable cultivars. Quality of olive oil produced from fruit appears to be influenced by local climatic factors The study also highlighted the issues of land tenure, current management attitudes and level of support within the local community as having a direct and significant impact on the trial.

Since pastoralism began in Australia???s rangelands, the number of artificial watering points (AWPs) has increased dramatically, such that today, few areas of rangeland are further than 10 km from water. This increased availability of water has caused many ecological impacts. Unfortunately, such impacts are poorly understood in the context of an Australian conservation reserve, thus hindering strategic management. This study examined the spatial distribution of vertebrate (kangaroos, small mammals, lizards and avifauna) and vegetative variables around open AWPs as well as AWPs that have been closed since pastoralism (sheep-grazing) ceased nearly thirty years ago in Sturt National Park, arid New South Wales. The study also examined vertebrate use of AWPs, with a particular emphasis on kangaroos and avifauna. The study revealed that most variables showed few differences in spatial distribution with distance from open and closed AWPs, thus suggesting that the observed piospheric impacts were primarily attributable to historical sheep-grazing. Indeed, piospheric patterns were weak suggesting some recovery over the last thirty years. That kangaroos did not exhibit water-focused grazing is no surprise, since despite their regular use of AWPs, particularly during hot, dry times, the current spatial arrangement of AWPs facilitates regular travel to, and from, such resources allowing kangaroos, like much other fauna, to distribute themselves in relation to food and shelter preferences rather than in relation to water supply. In contrast, the majority of avifaunal groups (excluding ground-dwelling species) were clustered around open AWPs, often irrespective of season, because of food and water requirements. Such spatial concentrations of avifauna are thought to cause a range of interspecific effects. Experimental AWP closure and GIS modelling showed that whilst closure of AWPs will increase the average distance to water, which will have key benefits, the majority of areas in Sturt National Park would still be accessible to most water-dependent species even if all unused AWPs were closed. Strategic retention of AWPs to replace water sources lost since European settlement, aid threatened and migratory species??? conservation and enhance nature-based tourism opportunities is thus recommended and an example of a strategic management and monitoring plan outlined.

Russian knapweed (Acroptilon repens) is an invasive perennial forb that has become well established in much of the western United States and Canada since the late 1800s. Aminopyralid is a relatively new pyridine carboxylic acid herbicide registered for use on rangelands and has provided excellent control of Russian knapweed in many studies. Research trials were conducted on two adjacent plot sites at Dinosaur National Monument to evaluate the effects of a single spring goat grazing paired with a fall application of aminopyralid at 0, 53, 70, 88, and 105 g ae ha-1 on Russian knapweed control. Russian knapweed density, canopy cover, and biomass were reduced to 0 or near 0 by all rates of aminopyralid, regardless of grazing treatment. Conversely, desirable grass cover and biomass increased at all rates of aminopyralid regardless of grazing treatment. Aminopyralid provided excellent control of Russian knapweed at all rates tested. Desirable perennial grass species have the potential to be injured when growth regulator herbicides are used for broadleaf weed control. Greenhouse trials performed at Utah State University and field trials performed in Logan, UT from 2009&ndash2011 evaluated tolerance and response of six native perennial bunchgrasses to growth regulator herbicides. Grasses used in the study included tall wheatgrass, bluebunch wheatgrass, Great Basin wildrye, Indian ricegrass, big bluegrass, and bottlebrush squirreltail. Two rates each of aminopyralid, aminocyclopyrachlor, and clopyralid were evaluated. Herbicide test rates were based on the labeled rate for control of Russian knapweed and other creeping perennials. Tolerance to herbicides varied among grass species. Petri&ndashdish trials showed reductions in root length by all three herbicides in all six speceis 14 days after treatment (DAT). Shoot length was significantly reduced by both rates of aminopyralid (123 and 246 g ae ha-1) and 280 g ai ha-1 of amincyclopyrachlor. The same species were evaluated in the field and greenhouse in response to postemergence applications of the same herbicides. Of the six grass species tested, &lsquoSherman&rsquo big bluegrass appeared to be highly tolerant to aminopyralid, clopyralid, and aminocyclopyrachlor, and &lsquoMagnar&rsquo Great Basin wildrye and Anatone bluebunch wheatgrass appeared to be the most sensitive to aminopyralid and aminocyclopoyrachlor in both the field and the greenhouse.

Overgrazing and fire suppression has left much rangeland in poor condition for various wildlife species. Prescribed fire is one range improvement practice used to restore degraded wildlife habitat. I determined the effect of prescribed fire on whitetailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) spatial and temporal distribution, in the presence of cattle grazing. Three 40 ha patches, constituting 10% and 6% of the land area in the lesser and greater Yellow Bluff pasture, respectively, were burned in September 2005. To determine habitat use and distribution of deer relative to these burns 3 bucks and 3 does were netted from a helicopter and fitted with Global Positioning System (GPS) telemetry collars (Lotek™ GPS_3300S) for a period of 30 days during each season. For estimation of spatial distribution of deer, the collars were programmed to take a position fix every hour to reduce problems associated with spatial autocorrelation. For 12 days within this period the collars recorded animal location every 5 minutes to compare habitat use with 6–9 GPS collars (GPS_3300LR) placed on cattle. This allowed me to examine fine-scale movements of deer relative to cattle. Trials were conducted prior to the burn and in each season for one year after the burn. Areas to be burned were not favored by deer. A month after the burn in Fall 2005 there was an increase in use of the burned areas by deer. Deer preference for burned areas fell in Spring and Summer 2006, but in Fall 2006 females dramatically increased their use of the burns. This is possibly an artifact of small sample size and the random selection of individuals. Interaction between deer and cattle was minimal, as they inhabited different areas. When cattle moved within approximately 50 m of a stationary deer the deer was likely to move away. Vegetation measurements showed no significant change in shrub cover and density and a decline in available herbaceous forage on both treatment and control sites in the second year. The lack of vegetative response because of drought conditions was likely the cause of the lack of response by the deer to the burns.

Rangelands are a major type of land found on all continents. Though they comprise around 70% of the world's land area, knowledge of rangelands is limited and immature. Rangelands supply humans with food and fiber at very low energy costs compared to cultivated lands. They are inherently heterogeneous, highly variable in time and space. Rangeland management needs to consider the impacts of long-term vegetation transition. It needs a conceptual framework defining potential vegetation communities, describing the management induced transition of one vegetation community to another, and documenting the expected benefits provided by the various potential vegetation communities. The most widely used conceptual unit in the rangeland discipline is the "ecological site". Ecological sites can be an effective unit that should respond to management consistently and can help managers understand the site's potential to meet human needs. A state and transition model (STM) brings ecological sites and their potential vegetative states together to build a conceptual framework showing the major causes of transitions between states of an ecological site and thus helping make adaptive management decisions. Within the STM there is a need for an indicator of ecosystem health. Ecosystem services can be important to evaluate alternative states. Ecosystem services do not pass through a market for valuation, though often the cost would be very high if, through mismanagement, the ecosystem is no longer capable of providing those services. Vegetation communities are constantly facing reversible or irreversible transitions triggered by natural events and/or management actions. The framework generated in this study is significant in using remote sensing to generate state and transition models for a large area and in using ecosystem services to evaluate natural and/or management induced transitions as described in the STM. This dissertation addresses the improvement of public rangelands management in the West. It applies geospatial technologies to map ecological sites and states on those sites, characterizes transitions between states and selects a desired state to manage towards based on a systematic assessment of the value of flows of environmental services. The results from this study are an evaluation of improved draft ecological site maps for a larger area using remote sensing images, a simplified state-and-transition model adapted to remote sensing capabilities to study transitions due to climatic events and management practices, and a constrained optimization model that incorporates ecosystem services and the simplified STM to evaluate management costs and conservation benefits. The study showed that brush treatment is the most effective management practice to cause state transitions. The highest increase in the high cover state was by 24%. Areas under grazing and drought show slow transitions from brush to grass and also after prescribed fire vegetation take at least two years to recover.

Land degradation is a process that causes the reduction in resource potential of natural rangelands and occurs widespread throughout southern Africa. This process is mainly characterized by the loss in vegetation cover, which leads to the occurrence of bare and denuded patches, increased soil erosion, changes in species composition as well as bush encroachment by indigenous and alien invasive plant species in savannah areas. Degradation of rangelands has drastically extended at an alarming rate during the last few decades with the main causes being overstocking, extended periods of drought, global climate change, overgrazing and general mismanagement of the land. Many researchers, however, feel that rangeland degradation is mainly caused by a combination of changes in land use practices and climate variability. Land users have, however, been applying a variety of technologies over the years in order to restore affected rangelands and mitigate the effect of degradation. These technologies include passive and active intervention methods, aimed at restoring bare and denuded areas and controlling indigenous bush and alien plant species encroachment. Bush control can be carried out by applying different technologies, involving chemical, mechanical, manual or biological control. The focal point of this study is on bush encroachment, the factors causing the problem, the possible ways of controlling this phenomenon and lastly the incorporation of such information into a user-friendly Decision Support System (DSS). The Decision Support System comprises of two databases as well as a related expert system. Bush encroachment is a matter of great concern in most southern African countries. This study therefore mainly included data from Namibia and to a lesser extent, South Africa, as the main study areas, seeing that this form of degradation greatly influences the biodiversity of rangelands in both these countries. The Namibia Agricultural Union (NLU) identified the need for the development of a user-friendly Decision Support System, in which case studies concerning the different bush control technologies could be stored in a database. Restoration technologies, regarding the occurrence of bare and denuded areas, that have been applied by the land users over a period of time and in a specific environment in the past, have been captured in a computerized database and expert system, serving as a Decision Support System (DSS) and user-friendly consulting tool in a similar study, carried out by Mr. Van der Merwe (1997). This DSS was based on CBR (Case Based Reasoning) methodologies by which a number of case studies, that have previously been stored in the database, can be searched by means of an expert system approach to advise the land user concerning the most appropriate solution (action) to similar degradation problems. The DSS developed by Mr. Van der Merwe was never published or made accessible to the land user in a format that could be consulted by either CD-ROM or the internet. Seeing that the NLU identified the need for a similar DSS containing bush control technologies, it was decided to incorporate both these databases into a single DSS, concerning bush control as well as the restoration of bare and denuded patches. The newly converted DSS is currently known as EcoRestore and consists on two databases: Grass Expert, which focuses on technologies to reclaim degraded rangelands, and Bush Expert, which is more focused on the control of bush encroachment and combating of alien invasives. As mentioned, this study focussed on the development of the Bush Expert database and will therefore only include results, discussions and conclusions of these case studies. The case studies in the Bush Expert database consist of results obtained by means of a questionnaire completed by the land user, in collaboration with the agricultural extension officer, as well as a quantitative vegetation assessment, to determine the success rate of the applied technology. The Bush Expert questionnaire, comprises of questions concerning personal information of the land user (e.g. location of the farm), the situation on the farm before bush control was applied (e.g. information on the environmental factors, such as density of problem trees), as well as the type of control technology applied and the situation of the rangeland after control (e.g. establishment of the herbaceous species). The quantitative vegetation assessments involved the sampling of the woody and herbaceous components in the area where a specific control technology was applied. The density and height classes of the woody component were determined by means of the belt-transect method. By using the descending-point method, the herbaceous component was surveyed to determine the abundance/frequency of the annual and perennial grass species. In order to increase the success of any restoration project, it is important to take the existing indigenous knowledge of local land users, concerning the problem of degradation and mitigation thereof, into consideration. By doing so, the local people and communities have greater control and responsibility over their resources and are able to command a greater range and level of resourcefulness. Taking indigenous knowledge into consideration finally enables the local land users to actively participate in and influence higher-level decision-making processes by which they are affected. A total of 175 case studies in Namibia and nine case studies in South Africa were surveyed. The Namibian case studies were surveyed in the central and northern arid and semi-arid regions, and South African case studies in a limited location within the Limpopo Province. Only 100 of the Namibian case studies have thus far been incorporated into the Bush Expert database. Multivariate data analyses techniques, analysis of variance and correlation analyses were used to analyse the data obtained from the questionnaires and quantitative vegetation surveys. Results were represented in the form of histogrammes, tables and multivariate analysis ordinations. From the results obtained for the Bush Expert database, it was clear that chemical control technologies were most often applied in Namibian and South African case studies (61%). The herbicides most commonly applied as chemical control technology in Namibia included Grazer (20%) and Savana (15%), whilst in South Africa these included Access (33.3%) and Tordon Super (33.3%). Herbicides were mostly applied by means of aerial application (46%) methods in Namibia and as cut-stump treatment (55.5%) by means of knapsack spraying or with a brush in South Africa. The dominant woody species causing bush encroachment problems in Namibia were found to be Acacia mellifera, Acacia reficiens and Dichrostachys cinerea, whereas in South Africa these species included Dichrostachys cinerea, Acacia erubescens and Acacia karroo. The wood of the controlled problem species (dead woody material) is mostly not utilized after control, but rather left on the land to disintegrate and thus contribute to the organic material content in the soil. Dead branches are also used for brush packing, which forms and ideal micro-climate for the germination and establishment of grass seeds, which serves as an erosion control medium and protects grass seedlings against grazing impacts. Some land users do however produce charcoal from certain controlled woody species, in order to recover some of the input costs of bush control. The majority of the case study sites (68%) in Namibia occurred within the 300-450 mm short- and long-term rainfall zones and in South Africa the majority of case study sites occurred within the short-term rainfall zone of 550-600 mm (66.6%) and 400- 500 mm long-term rainfall zone (55.5%). Case studies where chemical and manual bush control technologies were applied indicated the highest success rates after control (81.7% and 75.2% respectively). Success rate as an entity was greatly influenced by the type of control technology applied, the density of the problem woody species after bush control as well as environmental variables such as rainfall and soil clay percentage. No definite trend could be determined concerning the application of a specific bush control technology and a certain problem species. Land users tend to apply a chosen control technology, according to the resources available, such as labour, mechanical implements and finances. The only positive correlation between control technologies and the type of problem species could be found regarding Dichrostachys cinerea. This species was mainly chemically controlled by means of the application of certain herbicides. The most important lesson to be learnt from the surveys completed in the two countries is that it is an absolute necessity to apply a proper after-care programme as a management practice following the initial control of problem woody species. The implementation of after-care determines the final success rate of any applied bush control technology as a restoration practice within a rangeland. Only 11% of the case studies surveyed for Namibia and South Africa indicated the implementation of an after-care programme, which usually involved biological control (e.g. browsing by boer goats or the use of controlled or accidental natural veld fires). The EcoRestore Decision Support System is currently available as an online webversion (www.puk.ac.za/EcoRestore), as well as a CD-ROM version. The CD-ROM version is available in a package containing the CD and user's manual. An example of the package is included in this dissertation. In consulting the databases through question-and-answer procedures, the best action will be proposed to the land user for future rangeland restoration, either the reclamation of denuded areas or the control of bush encroachment. Since the case studies are based on past and existing experiences and research, the land user will have an indication of the expected outcome, should the same advised technology be applied. The EcoRestore DSS does not only offer a consulting tool for extension workers and technicians, but also creates networking and participation between land users and researchers, both locally and between neighbouring countries. The DSS is linked to other national and international websites and databases, to offer users a wider range of information and technologies with regard to agricultural and conservation practices. Better awareness is created amongst land users concerning the problem of rangeland degradation, which might encourage closer monitoring of the degradation and mitigation processes. The EcoRestore DSS was developed in such a way for it to be as user-friendly as possible, in order to reach as many parties involved in current or future restoration programmes. This study involved the development of the first version of the DSS (Version 1.0) and is thus only the prototype system. It is proposed that the Bush Expert database of the EcoRestore DSS, will be expanded in future and additional bush control case studies from other southern African countries will be included. The addition of such case studies will ultimately increase the effectivity of this DSS. / Thesis (M.Sc. (Botany))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2004.