Range management

DEFINITION: Policies governing the uses of regions that are not suitable for cultivation but serve as sources of forage by free-ranging domesticated and wild animals

Rangelands provide tangible products such as wood, water, and minerals and intangibles such as natural beauty, open space, and wilderness; accordingly, range management requires consideration of these multiple uses.

Rangelands, which make up about one-half of Earth’s surface, include a variety of types, such as temperate grasslands, tropical savannas, Arctic and alpine tundras, desert shrublands, shrub woodlands, and forests. While most are semiarid, rangelands often feature riparian zones and can include wetlands. Rangeland plants coevolved with the herbivores that depended on them for food, which were in turn eaten by carnivorous predators. A balance of nature resulted, subject to annual variation and unpredictable natural catastrophes, that led to relative stability of rangeland plant and animal species and populations. Prior to the development of agriculture ten thousand years ago, this balance of nature permeated the entire earth. Since then, one-half of the land has been used for the agriculture, industry, and habitation of humans.

Rangelands remain unsuitable for crop cultivation because of physical limitations, such as inadequate precipitation, rough terrain, poor drainage, or cold temperatures. They have been homes to numerous nomadic peoples and their animals around the world. While not subject to intensive use, they are affected by human activities. Because rangelands support an estimated 80 percent of livestock production worldwide, provide for many wild animals, and yield numerous tangible and intangible products, their viability and sustainability are important.

Mismanagement of rangelands is commonly caused by overgrazing by domesticated or wild herbivores. Continued heavy grazing leads to denuding of the land, by the elements, and starvation of the animal species. Because decreased plant cover changes the reflectance of the land, climatic changes can follow that prevent the regeneration of plant life, leading to desertification. Semiarid regions are particularly prone to overgrazing because of low and often unpredictable rainfall; however, these are the areas of the world where the greatest numbers of livestock have been relegated.

Overgrazing has contributed to environmental devastation worldwide. Largely uncontrolled grazing by livestock is partly responsible for the formation of the desert of the Middle East, the degradation of rangeland in the American West in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and the devastation of parts of Africa and Asia. Feral horses have damaged environments in the western United States and the Australian Outback. Overgrazing by wildlife can be deleterious as well. Removal of predators can lead to overpopulation of wildlife, excessive grazing, starvation, and large die-offs, such as that seen among mule deer on Arizona’s Kaibab Plateau during the 1920’s and 1930’s.

Preventing Deterioration

Proper management can prevent the deterioration of rangelands. Managing rangelands involves controlling the numbers of animals and enhancing their habitats. The land’s carrying capacity—that is, the number of animals that can be supported indefinitely on a given unit of land—must not be exceeded. Optimizing, instead of maximizing, the number of animals in a rangeland area will sustain a healthy plant community, referred to as good range condition. For private land, optimizing livestock numbers is in the long-term self-interest of the landowner, although it is not always seen as such. For land that is publicly owned or owned in common, or that has unclear or disputed ownership, restricting animals to the optimum level is particularly difficult to achieve. As Garrett Hardin describes in his 1968 essay “The Tragedy of the Commons,” the pursuit of personal, short-term benefits often leads to long-term disaster.

Restricting livestock through herding and fencing is physically easy but can be politically difficult and expensive. Controlling charismatic feral animals, such as horses, or wildlife when natural predators have been eliminated and hunting is severely restricted is much more problematic. As for habitat improvement, various approaches can increase carrying capacity for either domesticated or wild herbivores. Removal of woody vegetation through controlled burning or mechanical means will increase grass cover, fertilization can stimulate forage growth, and reseeding with desirable species, often native plants, can enhance the habitat. It may be necessary also to control plant pests (noxious weeds) and animal pests (such as grasshoppers and rabbits). Effective rangeland management requires matching animals with the forage on which they feed.

Riparian areas—linear strips of land along the sides of rivers and streams—are particularly susceptible to overgrazing. Animals naturally congregate in areas with water, lush vegetation, and shade, and they can seriously damage these areas by preventing grasses from regrowing and young trees from taking root, as well as by compacting the soil and fouling the watercourse. The can be devastated, leaving the land subject to erosion and the survival of plant and animal species threatened. Herding and fencing can be used to control animals in these areas, but a less expensive way to encourage their movement away from rivers or streams is to distribute sources of water and salt, which range animals crave and will seek.

Effective range management also accounts for the multiple demands placed on rangelands. The balance between livestock and wildlife is an acute source of controversy between ranchers and environmentalists in the American West, especially because much of the land used for grazing livestock is publicly held. Issues include the low cost of grazing permits on public versus private land; the Emergency Feed Program, which reimburses ranchers for one-half the cost of feed during droughts and other disasters; the lack of control for wild animal populations; the livelihood of ranchers; and the contribution of range livestock to the country’s food supply. Other uses of rangeland include extraction of lumber, minerals, and energy, as well as recreational uses.

Bibliography

Cheeke, Peter R. Contemporary Issues in Animal Agriculture. 2d ed. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall, 2004.

Chiras, Daniel D., and John P. Reganold. Natural Resource Conservation: Management for a Sustainable Future. 10th ed. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Benjamin Cummings/Pearson, 2010.

Coppock, D. Layne, et al. "Community-Based Rangeland Management in Namibia Improves Resource Governance But Not Environmental and Economic Outcomes." Communications Earth & Environment, vol. 3, no. 32, 17 Feb. 2022, https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-022-00361-5. Accessed 22 July 2024.

Ehlert, Krista. "Five Range Management Principles: Overview." South Dakota State University Extension, 16 Sept. 2022, extension.sdstate.edu/five-range-management-principles-overview. Accessed 22 July 2024.

Heady, Harold F., and R. Dennis Child. Rangeland Ecology and Management. 2d ed. Boulder, Colo.: Westview Press, 2002.

Holechek, Jerry L., Rex D. Pieper, and Carlton H. Herbel. Range Management: Principles and Practices. 6th ed. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall/Pearson, 2011.