A flexible approach to the restoration of degraded rangelands

Abstract

Most development projects tend to focus exclusively on rangeland rehabilitation without also considering rangeland management and the interests of pastoralists. As a result, they often fail to attract local support, risking their long-term sustainability. While resting and excluding livestock from degraded areas remains a cost-effective restoration technique, it can also be prolonged for too long and exacerbate feed gaps. An alternative approach, developed by ICARDA and its national partners in Tunisia, permits controlled rapid grazing during periods of sufficient rainfall and good biomass production. This flexible restoration strategy delivers for both fragile rangeland ecosystems and local communities, and it holds significant promise for rehabilitation efforts throughout the dry areas. This Research brief the strategic importance of Tunisia’s rangelands is described one of these strategies is grazing exclusion however there is some limitations of this strategy. Thus, adopting a flexible approach to rangeland restoration in order to ensure sustainable rangeland improvement is required. This brief is about flexible approach that allows pastoralists to rapidly graze rested areas under certain conditions, when precipitation levels are high and biomass production is good. By closely monitoring conditions and identifying precisely where, when, and how much grazing can take place will lead to sustainable NRM strategy that also attracts the support of pastoralists.