14 pp. / Originally published: 2007 / A primary expression of stocking levels on rangeland vegetation is utilization defined as the proportion or degree of current years forage production that is consumed or destroyed by animals (including insects). Utilization may refer either to a single plant species, a group of species, or the vegetation as a whole. Utilization is an important factor in influencing changes in the soil, water, animal, and vegetation resources. The impact of a specific intensity of use on a plant species is highly variable depending on past and present use, period of use, duration of use, inter-specific competition, weather, availability of soil moisture for regrowth, and how these factors interact. Utilization data can be used as a guideline for moving livestock within an allotment with due consideration to season, weather conditions and the availability of forage and water in pastures scheduled for use during the same grazing season. In combination with actual use and climatic data, utilization measurements on key areas and utilization pattern mapping are useful for estimating proper stocking levels under current management. Utilization studies are helpful in identifying key and problem areas, and in identifying range improvements needed to improve livestock distribution. Reviewed 10/2016. Originally published 5/2007.

Please read the abstract in the section 00front of this document / Thesis (PhD (Agric) Extension)--University of Pretoria, 2005. / Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Development / unrestricted

Thesis (MSc. Agriculture (Remote Sensing)) -- University of Limpopo, 2015 / Savannas are the most important ecosystems for raising livestock in Africa. In the past 50 years, evidence has shown that savannas throughout the world are being altered by bush encroachment. This is an ecological succession process where perennial plants such as shrubs and trees replace annual vegetation. This reduces the amount of palatable fodder and directly threatens livestock productivity in many localities. This study evaluated long-term bush encroachment using multi-date Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) images 1989, 1990, 1993, 1995, 1999, 2004 and 2008 to reconstruct changes in spatial distribution of trees and shrubs at the Towoomba Reseach Station over a period of 19 years, from 1989 to 2008. Grasses and woody species were classified using unsupervised classification and Normalised Difference Vegetation Index was used to assess forage productivity and change in vegetation with years. The study was carried out at Towoomba Research Station in Bela Bela, Limpopo Province, South Africa. The study revealed that bush encroachment is a natural process and is independent of the grazing patterns. The results show that if not monitored encroaching species will make it difficult for grazers to get underneath the trees and also disturb the photosynthetic process of grass thereby replacing the grass. The study further showed that satellite remote sensing has the potential for monitoring rangeland quality. Keywords: Bush encroachment, remote sensing, classification and Normalised Difference Vegetation Index

This study was conducted in the Borana rangelands, southern Oromia, Ethiopia with the aim of investigating land-use/cover changes, rangeland condition and indentifying major change drivers in the rangelands. Satellite image scenes, ground survey and people’s perceptions were assessed to identify changes on herbaceous and woody species composition. Ordination techniques were used for correlation of grass and woody species into environmental variables. Piospheric effects on vegetation composition around patch resources were also examined. These assessments were designed to bring out both spatial and seasonal variation in vegetation parameters. Rangeland condition was determined using the ecological index (EIM) and the weighted palatability composition (WPC) methods. Grazing capacity assessment was largely based on rain-use efficiency, range condition, density of woody plants. Woody cover in the Borana increased from 11.3% in the 1970s to 49.26% in 2000s, while, grassland cover declined from 58% to 32% during the same period. The cultivated/built up area also increased gradually over the years though the extent of increment was less compared to the woody cover changes. The calculated NDVI values for the 2000s were low relative to the 1970s. Ground survey results demonstrated that herbaceous biomass production and woody plant density varied significantly (P < 0.01) for the different sites in Borana. Nevertheless, herbaceous plant diversity and evenness did not differ significantly (P>0.05) across the different sites and around patch resource areas. This confirms the resilience of the Borana rangeland to the effects of grazing pressure and climatic variability. Overall, the density of woody plants varied from moderate to sever encroachment, which corresponds to the rangeland condition classes from very poor to fair. The results of the present study showed that the nutrient contents of herbaceous plants (CP, NDF, ADF, ADL and ash) were greatly influenced by species, stage of maturity, site and season. Herbaceous species with high crude protein content based on laboratory results were also ranked as the top important species by the pastoralists. Similarly, herbaceous forage species with a high structural fiber were considered inferior. Pastoralists’ knowledge and laboratory results on the nutritive value of key herbaceous species complemented each other. The stocking density of livestock units was higher than the grazing capacity for the Borana rangelands. Stocking density for the Borana rangeland using rain-use efficiency was 1.43 ha/TLU. There was no significant difference in the grazing capacity across the different sites in the study area under the existing management. The majority of pastoralists believed that the rangelands in Borana have been degraded, as consequence of recurrent drought (83%), population pressure (65%), poor management and inappropriate government policy (38%). The majority of the respondents (94%) also asserted that the traditional coping mechanisms of Borana pastoralists have declined. There is therefore a need for designing appropriate pastoral land-use policies that fit the ecological potential of the region to ensure sustainable ecosystem functioning. We suggest a comprehensive and adaptive range management for the implementation of appropriate land-use systems for the different livestock species. There is need to adjust stocking rates based on seasonal availability of forage. This would foster economic feasibility and ecological sustainability of the Borana pastoral production system. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / gm2013 / Plant Production and Soil Science / Unrestricted

Rangelands within the Great Basin are responsible for the provision of multiple resources that humans depend on for a variety of reasons. Ranchers in this region are dependent on public lands to remain economically viable in their cattle operations. As a majority of land in this region is publically owned, there are varying interests at play in what should and could be the focus of management. Ranchers are charged with implementing strategies aimed at conserving these landscapes and their motivations for what to manage may significantly influence resource provision from Intermountain West ecosystem. In this study, I sought to understand what resources ranchers manage and why ranchers manage for certain resources. I also sought to understand operational characteristics which allow or inhibit them from managing for a suite of resources. My study population was ranchers throughout the Intermountain West who depend on public lands to graze their cattle. I utilized interviews as well as mail-in surveys to broadly understand what ranchers value about rangelands. From both qualitative and quantitative data, I found that ranchers make management decisions to encourage productivity, maintain a ranching legacy and remain autonomous in their operation. Managing to encourage these three ideals could ensure that their operations remain viable for their family in the future. I also found that based on size of operation, how active ranchers are on their operation, and how income dependent they are on their operation contribute to managing for more and a certain type of resource. Overall, this research was designed to encourage management for a suite of resources on rangeland landscapes. Ranchers seem to manage most highly for resources directly beneficial to their operation. By educating and incentivizing ranchers to manage more broadly for resources that benefit a broader public on public lands which we all hold claim to, resilience of both human communities as well as the ecosystem itself will be enhanced.

Degradations of the rangelands is very common around the permanent settlements of the central rangelands of Somalia. This degradation is attributed to overstocking resulting form the fact that the rangelands are communally owned and herders are ignoring the shadow value of the forage. Information about the optimal herd size would help halt the rangeland degradation. In this study, two allocation mechanisms were compared. The first was the private ownership solution where someone owns the rangeland and decides how many animals should be grazed there. The second was the solution where the rangeland is owned in common by the dwellers of the area and access to it is free and unrestricted. For the private ownership, a model was developed that solves the economically optimal herd size and forage stock. The model also determines the optimal milk production and sales and live-cattle sales and slaughters during the transition period and at the stationary state. For the communal ownership, the set of the first-order conditions of the model were solved simultaneously after the shadow value of the forage was dropped. A computer program of the optimization algorithm, GAM/MINOS, was used to solve both problems using data from the central rangelands of Somalia. GAMS/MINOS provided the optimal values of all of the state, costate, and control variables during the transition period and at the stationary state.

Spraying with the chemical herbicide 2,4-D is the most widely used method of controlling big sagebrush. Spraying is very effective in increasing forage production and generally is not poisonous to either man or animals. Two procedures can be used to calculate the internal rate of return to big sagebrush control: standard and modified discounting. Standard discounting assumes all nonuse costs are incurred in the year of treatment, and the annual income stream is constant throughout the effective life of treatment. Modified discounting correctly assumes the nonuse cost is incurred in the period of deferment, and the income stream does not reach its full potential until after deferment. Thus, modified discounting yields a lower internal rate of return. Three big sagebrush control methods (spraying, burning, and chaining) offer internal rates of return which are greater than 8 percent (cost of obtaining capital for range improvement). The most important factors in determining the internal rate of return are the site vigor index and the amount of forage present before treatment. A larger pre-treatment forage yield will give a larger internal rate of return, assuming the vigor index is sufficiently high. If state and private rangelands infested with big sagebrush are not improved by spraying or other big sagebrush control methods, certain benefits, called opportunity costs, will be foregone. For spraying alone, the expected annual opportunity costs would be $3,048,102. The economic feasibility of controlling nearly 2 1/2 million acres of state and private rangelands infested with big sagebrush are excellent. The expected annual increase in carrying capacity of 1,830,000 acres of sagebrush rangeland meriting improvement by spraying is 765,855 AUMs. The remaining 623,000 acres meriting control other than by spraying could possibly increase the total number of additional AUMs to over 1 million.

Three predominant and economically important shrubs of the sagebrush-grass range community in Utah, namely big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata Nutt.), rubber rabbitbrush (Chrysothamnus nauseosus (Pall.) Britt.), antelope bitterbrush (Purshia tridentata (Pursh) DC), and a widely re-seeded range grass, crested wheatgrass (Agropyron cristatum (L.) Gaertn.) were sampled during the summers of 1966 and 1967, and yielded twenty species of thrips. Three species (Anaphothrips tricolor Moulton, Chirothrips aculeatus Bagnall, Chirothrips simplex Hood) were new distributional records for Utah. Seven species (Frankliniella n. sp. #1, Frankliniella n. sp. #2, Haplothrips n. sp., Leptothrips n. sp., Oedaleothrips n. sp., Sericothrips n. sp. #1, Sericothrips n. sp. #2) were undescribed. Six species (Anaphothrips zeae (Moulton), Aptinothrips rufus (Gmelin), Chirothrips aculeatus Bagnall, Frankliniella minuta Moulton, Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande), Thrips tabaci (Lindeman) had previously been reported as injurious to various range and agricultural hosts. The remaining species included: Aeolothrips duvali Moulton, Aeolothrips fuscus Watson, Aptinothrips rufus stylifera Trybom, Haplothrips sonorensis Stannard, and Rhopalandrothrips corni Moulton. Host preference, habitat preferences, and peaks in seasonal abundance were determined for each thrips whenever possible.

During the summer of 1934 this investigation was conducted to determine the effect of overgrazing on the mortality of desert browse in the vicinity of the Desert Range Branch experiment station. Range lands of western United States have, as a whole been subjected to overgrazing. Utah has about 24 million acres of public acres of public domain that can only be utilized from grazing. An effort has been made to put this area under control. The "Taylor Grazing Act" passed by Congress June 28, 1934 is a big step in the direction of the control of this vast area of unappropriated range land. This control is necessary in order to rid these ranges of the evils of overgrazing, and save one of the chief resources of the Western States.

Land degradation poses a significant global challenge, affecting vast areas of the world's land and impacting billions of people. Maintaining the land’s ability to provide vital ecosystem services is essential for global food security and climate mitigation. However, land degradation drives us in the opposite direction. Kenya is particularly vulnerable to degradation, making it essential to focus on the rangelands, which comprise over 83% of its land area and support more than 70% of its livestock. Due to widespread land degradation, Kenyan pastoralists, who depend heavily on the productivity of the rangelands, face significant difficulties in providing adequate fodder for their livestock. Nevertheless, degraded land can be restored, and it is crucial to implement restoration interventions on a larger scale to reverse land degradation. Monitoring the impacts of land restoration is essential to carry out evidence-based restoration efforts and effectively halt land degradation. This study assessed the impact of land restoration efforts initiated in 2021 following the establishment of two "Livestock Cafés" in northwest Kenya. The Livestock Cafés initiative is designed to restore degraded land while supporting local pastoral communities. The study applied remote sensing and statistical modeling to monitor changes in three key indicators of land health: soil organic carbon, erosion, and vegetation cover. The findings revealed positive effects of the restoration interventions, including enhanced soil organic carbon and vegetation cover and reduced rates of severe erosion. The results also indicate worsening land health outside the Livestock Cafés, highlighting the serious land degradation challenges in the region. These findings support a wider adoption of the restoration methods applied within the Livestock Cafés to combat land degradation in similar contexts.