Protecting Migration Corridors: Challenges and Optimism for Mongolian Saiga

Hunting pressure and habitat loss place the endangered saiga, a type of antelope that was once abundant in central Asia, at high risk of extinction, and make the protection of the migratory routes of Mongolian populations even more critical for conserving the species

Rangelands, conflicts, and society in the Upper Mustang Region, Nepal

Rangelands are considered critical ecosystems in the Nepal Himalayas and provide multiple ecosystem services that support local livelihoods. However, these rangelands are under threat from various anthropogenic stresses. This study analyzes an example of conflict over the use of rangeland, involving two villages in the Mustang district of Nepal. This prolonged conflict over the use of rangeland rests on how use rights are defined by the parties, that is, whether they are based on traditional use or property ownership. Traditionally, such conflicts in remote areas were managed under the Mukhiya (village chief) system, but this became dysfunctional after the political change of 1990. The continuing conflict suggests that excessive demand for limited rangelands motivates local villagers to gain absolute control of the resources. In such contexts, external support should focus on enhancing the management and production of forage resources locally, which requires the establishment of local common property institutions to facilitate sustainable rangeland management.<br /

CONSERVING MONGOLIA’S GRASSLANDS, WITH CHALLENGES, OPPORTUNITIES, AND LESSONS FOR NORTH AMERICA’S GREAT PLAINS

Mongolia and North America contain expansive grassland ecosystems that remain sparsely populated, dominated by agriculture, and support relatively isolated human communities dependent on natural resources. Until recently Mongolians raised livestock using extensive pastoralism without seriously threatening most of the region’s biodiversity. Yet that changed rapidly following the recent transition from a communist, command-control economy to a democratic, free-market economy. The main challenges to protecting biodiversity on grasslands in Mongolia include overgrazing, poaching, mining, and inadequate management, training, and resources. Mongolia and the Great Plains both retain great opportunities for biodiversity conservation that could also benefit local people. Mongolia has begun embracing nature-based tourism as a means of providing additional jobs and enhanced livelihoods to local communities on its steppe grasslands. Nature-based tourism development in Mongolia may provide a model for conserving biodiversity in the Great Plains. Similar developments are beginning in the Great Plains but have focused primarily on big game hunting and dude ranches. Expanding the model in the Great Plains to include Native American cultures and wildlife viewing may offer alternatives that help restore biodiversity and enhance livelihoods

Importance of Forest Lands to Ranching in Montana

This material was digitized as part of a cooperative project between the Society for Range Management, the National Agricultural Library, and the University of Arizona Libraries.The Rangelands archives are made available by the Society for Range Management and the University of Arizona Libraries. Contact [email protected] for further information.Migrated from OJS platform March 202

Central Afghanistan Rangelands: A History of Tribal Rule, Grazing, War, and Rebuilding

The Rangelands archives are made available by the Society for Range Management and the University of Arizona Libraries. Contact [email protected] for further information.Migrated from OJS platform March 202

Influence of forest site on total nonstructural carbohydrate levels of pinegrass, elk sedge, and snowberry

Seasonal trends in total nonstructural carbohydrates (TNC) were studied in pinegrass (Calamagrostis rubescens Buckl.), elk sedge (Carex geyeri Boott), and snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus (L.) Blake) in western Montana in 1983 and 1984. Plants were collected from 4 forest sites at approximate 2-week intervals throughout the growing season. The sites were a clearcut and forested area in 2 different habitat types. Total nonstructrual carbohydrates were determined using an enzyme digestion technique and acid hydrolysis. Total nonstructural carbohydrates in pinegrass rhizomes exhibited a U-shaped curve with reduced levels during growth initiation in the spring and increased levels after growth cessation in late summer. Snowberry root crown TNC exhibited a V-shaped curve with rapid drawdown caused by spring growth followed by rapid replenishment of TNC levels. Elk sedge, an evergreen, did not have a stage of development which resulted in large fluctuations in TNC content of roots or root crowns. In general, TNC levels in elk sedge roots and root crowns and snowberry root crowns were greater on forested sites than clearcuts while the opposite was found in pinegrass rhizomes. Phenological development of plants growing under the forest canopy was delayed by 2 to 3 weeks compared to plants growing in the clearcuts. The influence of clipping pinegrass and elk sedge to a 5-cm or 10-cm stubble height in late May and late June was also studied. Elk sedge TNC levels were least affected when plants were clipped to a 10-cm height in late May and most affected when clipped to a 5-cm height in either May or June. Pinegrass rhizome TNC levels were lower than controls 2 weeks after clipping to 5-cm stubble heights in late May and late June, but after 4 weeks TNC levels of 5-cm clipped plants were not different from controls. Clipping to a 10-cm stubble height in late May did not cause a reduction in TNC levels. The 10-cm clipping treatment reduced pinegrass rhizome TNC levels compared to the control 2 weeks after clipping in late June. The replenishment of TNC reserves of elk sedge and pinegrass to moderate foliage removal during the spring suggests that these species may be moderately grazed in early spring when they are more palatable to livestock.This material was digitized as part of a cooperative project between the Society for Range Management and the University of Arizona Libraries.The Journal of Range Management archives are made available by the Society for Range Management and the University of Arizona Libraries. Contact [email protected] for further information.Migrated from OJS platform August 202