Download or read book Stochastic Modeling in Range Management written by Amitrajeet A. Batabyal and published by Nova Publishers. This book was released on 2004 with total page 138 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Although rangelands are one of the most important ecological-economic systems on our planet, researchers thus far have paid scant attention to the study of range management from a theoretical perspective. As such, this book provides a systematic approach to the theoretical study of range management under uncertainty. In particular, the book demonstrates how the theory of stochastic processes and the techniques of stochastic modelling can be used to construct and analyse theoretical models of jointly determined rangelands and thereby shed light on the task of range management. Because specialised grazing systems involving the rotation of animals between pastures have been a major focus of range managers since the 1950s, this book pays considerable attention to questions that arise when specialised grazing systems such as short duration grazing are used to manage rangelands. Specific issues that are analysed in this book include the optimal number of paddocks in short duration grazing, the steady state distribution of animals in short duration grazing. Also, the effect of potential irreversibilities, the choice between the stocking rate and time, herding in ranch operations, and the role of time in range management, is discussed.

Download or read book Rangeland Systems written by David D. Briske and published by Springer. This book was released on 2017-04-12 with total page 664 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is open access under a CC BY-NC 2.5 license. This book provides an unprecedented synthesis of the current status of scientific and management knowledge regarding global rangelands and the major challenges that confront them. It has been organized around three major themes. The first summarizes the conceptual advances that have occurred in the rangeland profession. The second addresses the implications of these conceptual advances to management and policy. The third assesses several major challenges confronting global rangelands in the 21st century. This book will compliment applied range management textbooks by describing the conceptual foundation on which the rangeland profession is based. It has been written to be accessible to a broad audience, including ecosystem managers, educators, students and policy makers. The content is founded on the collective experience, knowledge and commitment of 80 authors who have worked in rangelands throughout the world. Their collective contributions indicate that a more comprehensive framework is necessary to address the complex challenges confronting global rangelands. Rangelands represent adaptive social-ecological systems, in which societal values, organizations and capacities are of equal importance to, and interact with, those of ecological processes. A more comprehensive framework for rangeland systems may enable management agencies, and educational, research and policy making organizations to more effectively assess complex problems and develop appropriate solutions.

Download or read book Rethinking Invasion Ecologies from the Environmental Humanities written by Jodi Frawley and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2014-02-24 with total page 318 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Research from a humanist perspective has much to offer in interrogating the social and cultural ramifications of invasion ecologies. The impossibility of securing national boundaries against accidental transfer and the unpredictable climatic changes of our time have introduced new dimensions and hazards to this old issue. Written by a team of international scholars, this book allows us to rethink the impact on national, regional or local ecologies of the deliberate or accidental introduction of foreign species, plant and animal. Modern environmental approaches that treat nature with naïve realism or mobilize it as a moral absolute, unaware or unwilling to accept that it is informed by specific cultural and temporal values, are doomed to fail. Instead, this book shows that we need to understand the complex interactions of ecologies and societies in the past, present and future over the Anthropocene, in order to address problems of the global environmental crisis. It demonstrates how humanistic methods and disciplines can be used to bring fresh clarity and perspective on this long vexed aspect of environmental thought and practice. Students and researchers in environmental studies, invasion ecology, conservation biology, environmental ethics, environmental history and environmental policy will welcome this major contribution to environmental humanities.

Download or read book Rangeland Desertification written by Olafur Arnalds and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-03-09 with total page 234 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Desertification has occurred worldwide. The biophysical and socio-economic complexity of this phenomenon has challenged our ability to categorize, inventory, monitor and repair the condition of degraded lands. One of the most important distinctions to be made in relation to land degradation is between cultivated land used for annual crop production and `rangelands'. Grazing by free-roaming livestock is the traditional primary use of the world's rangelands. However, there is growing recognition of the importance of these vast acreages for wildlife habitat, hydrology and ground water recharge, recreation and aesthetics. This text focuses on the desertification of rangelands and explores processes, problems and solutions. Chapters in the first section evaluate interactions between `natural' and human-induced disturbance regimes, thresholds, and non-linear change with respect to vegetation, hydrology, nutrients and erosion. Chapters in the second section examine socio-economic constraints and approaches for preventing and reversing degradation. The book provides a contemporary, process-oriented perspective on rangeland degradation of value to students, policy-makers and professionals alike.

Download or read book Large Herbivore Ecology Ecosystem Dynamics and Conservation written by Kjell Danell and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2006-05-25 with total page 489 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Most large herbivores require some type of management within their habitats. Some populations of large herbivores are at the brink of extinction, some are under discussion for reintroduction, whilst others already occur in dense populations causing conflicts with other land use. Large herbivores are the major drivers for forming the shape and function of terrestrial ecosystems. This 2006 book addresses the scientifically based action plans to manage both the large herbivore populations and their habitats worldwide. It covers the processes by which large herbivores not only affect their environment (e.g. grazing) but are affected by it (e.g. nutrient cycling) and the management strategies required. Also discussed are new modeling techniques, which help assess integration processes in a landscape context, as well as assessing the consequences of new developments in the processes of conservation. This book will be essential reading for all involved in the management of both large herbivores and natural resources.

Download or read book Sustainable Lifeways written by Naomi F. Miller and published by University of Pennsylvania Press. This book was released on 2012-02-24 with total page 350 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sustainable Lifeways addresses forces of conservatism and innovation in societies dependent on the exploitation of aquatic and other wild resources, agriculture, and specialized pastoralism. The volume gathers specialists working in four areas of the world with significant archaeological and paleoenvironmental databases: West Asia, the American Southwest, East Africa, and Andean South America, and contributing to research in three broad time scales: long term (spanning millennia), medium term (archaeological time, spanning centuries or a few thousand years), and recent (ethnohistoric or ethnographic, spanning years or decades). By bringing an archaeological eye to an examination of human response to unpredictable environmental conditions, informed by an understanding of contemporary traditional peoples, the contributors to this volume develop a more detailed picture of how societies perceive environmental risk, how they alter their behavior in the face of changing conditions, and under what challenges the most rapid and far-reaching changes in adaptation have taken place. Sustainable Lifeways enhances our understanding of both the forces of conservatism and innovation which may have been in play in major transitions in the past, such as the development of complex society, and the expansions of early empires. Studies present examples of cattle herders in East Africa, hunter-gatherers and pastoralists in the Levant, South American fisher/farmers, and farmer/hunters of the U.S. Southwest.

Download or read book Range Ecology at Disequilibrium written by Roy H. Behnke and published by Overseas Development Institute (ODI). This book was released on 1993 with total page 270 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Contesting Views and Changing Paradigms written by Annika Dahlberg and published by Nordic Africa Institute. This book was released on 1994 with total page 64 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Eastern and Southern Africa written by Debby Potts and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2016-02-04 with total page 446 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A unique and comprehensive introduction to contemporary development issues in East and Southern Africa, and represents a significant departure from the often descriptive approach adopted by existing regional and development texts on African regions. Each contribution is carefully chosen to highlight the theoretical basis to development issues, and the practical problems of implementing development plans, in this vital subregion. Overall this produces comprehensive and balanced coverage of historical, economic, political and social issues. The twin issues of globalisation and modernisation give the book a clear focus.

Download or read book Decolonizing Nature written by William (Bill) Adams and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2012-04-27 with total page 340 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: British imperialism was almost unparalleled in its historical and geographical reach, leaving a legacy of entrenched social transformation in nations and cultures in every part of the globe. Colonial annexation and government were based on an all-encompassing system that integrated and controlled political, economic, social and ethnic relations, and required a similar annexation and control of natural resources and nature itself. Colonial ideologies were expressed not only in the progressive exploitation of nature but also in the emerging discourses of conservation. At the start of the 21st century, the conservation of nature is of undiminished importance in post-colonial societies, yet the legacy of colonial thinking endures. What should conservation look like today, and what (indeed, whose) ideas should it be based upon? Decolonizing Nature explores the influence of the colonial legacy on contemporary conservation and on ideas about the relationships between people, polities and nature in countries and cultures that were once part of the British Empire. It locates the historical development of the theory and practice of conservation - at both the periphery and the centre - firmly within the context of this legacy, and considers its significance today. It highlights the present and future challenges to conservationists of contemporary global neo-colonialism The contributors to this volume include both academics and conservation practitioners. They provide wide-ranging and insightful perspectives on the need for, and practical ways to achieve new forms of informed ethical engagement between people and nature.

Download or read book Handbook of Ecological Restoration written by Martin R. Perrow and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2002-09-05 with total page 634 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The two volumes of this handbook provide a comprehensive account of the emerging and vibrant science of the ecological restoration of both habitats and species. Ecological restoration aims to achieve complete structural and functional, self-maintaining biological integrity following disturbance. In practice, any theoretical model is modified by a number of economic, social and ecological constraints. Consequently, material that might be considered as rehabilitation, enhancement, reconstruction or re-creation is also included. Restoration in Practice provides details of state-of-the-art restoration practice in a range of biomes within terrestrial and aquatic (marine, coastal and freshwater) ecosystems. Policy and legislative issues on all continents are also outlined and discussed. The accompanying volume, Principles of Restoration defines the underlying principles of restoration ecology. The Handbook of Ecological Restoration will be an invaluable resource to anyone concerned with the restoration, rehabilitation, enhancement or creation of habitats in aquatic or terrestrial systems, throughout the world.

Download or read book Combating Desertification Land Degradation and Climate Change Management of Dry Lands written by T.S. Chouhan and published by Scientific Publishers. This book was released on 2018-06-01 with total page 605 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Although much is known about the processes and effects of desertification, land degradation and climate change, little is understood about the links between them. Less still is known about how these processes are likely to interact in different social-ecological systems around the world, or how societies might be able to adapt to this twin challenge. This book identifies key vulnerabilities to the combined effects of climate change and land degradation around the world. It identifies triple-win adaptations that can tackle both climate change and land degradation, whilst supporting biodiversity and ecosystem services. Desertification, Land Degradation and Climate Change : Assessment, Mitigation and Remediation research results in sustainable land management, land degradation status and mitigation in the world. It includes background chapters with continental and international perspectives dealing with desertification, land degradation and climate change studies. The book assembles various topics of interest for a large audience. They include carbon sequestration and stocks, modern techniques to trace the trends of land degradation, traditional and modern approaches of resource-base conservation, soil fertility management, reforestation, rangeland rehabilitation, land use planning, GIS techniques in desertification risk cartography, participatory ecosystem management, policy analyses and possible plans for action. Various climatic domains in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas are covered. The book will be of interest to a variety of environmental scientists, agronomists, national and international policy makers and a number of organizations dealing with sustainable management of natural resources.

Download or read book Patterns of Land Degradation in Drylands written by Eva Nora Mueller and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-08-15 with total page 388 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book explores the theory of ecogeomorphic pattern-process linkages, using case studies from Europe, Africa, Australia and North America. Sets forth a research agenda for the emerging field of ecogeomorphology in drylands land-degradation studies.

Download or read book Grazing in Future Multi scapes From Thoughtscapes to Landscapes Creating Health from the Ground Up written by Pablo Gregorini and published by Frontiers Media SA. This book was released on 2022-09-27 with total page 649 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This Research Topic is hosted in partnership with the "Grazing in Future Multi-Scapes" international workshop. The workshop will be held online, 30th May - 5th June 2021. Throughout different landscapes of the world, “grazing” herbivores fulfill essential roles in ecology, agriculture, economies and cultures including: families, farms, and communities. Not only do livestock provide food and wealth, they also deliver ecosystem services through the roles they play in environmental composition, structure and dynamics. Grazing, as a descriptive adjective, locates herbivores within a spatial and temporal pastoral context where they naturally graze or are grazed by farmers, ranchers, shepherds etc. In many cases, however, pastoralism with the single objective of maximizing animal production and/or profit has transformed landscapes, diminishing biodiversity, reducing water and air quality, accelerating loss of soil and plant biomass, and displacing indigenous animals and people. These degenerative landscape transformations have jeopardized present and future ecosystem and societal services, breaking the natural integration of land, water, air, health, society and culture. Land-users, policy makers and societies are calling for alternative approaches to pastoral systems; a call for diversified-adaptive and integrative agro-ecological and food-pastoral-systems designs that operate across multiple scales and ‘scapes’ (e.g. thought-, social-, land-, food-, health-, wild-scapes), simultaneously. There needs to be a paradigm shift in pastoral production systems and how grazing herbivores are managed –grazed- within them, derived initially from a change in perception of how they provide wealth. The thoughtscapes will include paradigm shifts where grazers move away from the actual archetype of pastoralism, future landscapes are re-imagined, and regenerative and sustainable management paradigms are put in place to achieve these visions. From this will come a change in collective thinking of how communities and cultures (socialscapes) perceive their relationships with pastoral lands. The landscapes are the biotic and abiotic four-dimensional domains or environments in need of nurture. Landscapes are the tables where humans and herbivores gain their nourishment, i.e. foodscapes. Foodscapes and dietary perceptions, dictate actions and reactions that are changing as developed countries grapple with diseases related to obesity, and people starve in developing countries. Societies are demanding healthscapes and nutraceutical foodscapes, and paradoxically, some are moving away from animal products. While indigenous species of animals, including humans (wildscapes), have been displaced from many of their lands by monotonic pastoralism, multifunctional pastoral systems can be designed in view of dynamic multi-scapes of the future. The purpose of this Research Topic is to influence future mental and practical models of pastoralism in continually evolving multi-scapes. We seek a collection of papers that will cultivate such a shift in thinking towards future models of sustainable multipurpose pastoralism. The contributions will be synthesized to establish how multifunctional pastoral systems can be re-imagined and then designed in view of the integrative dynamics of sustainable future multi-scapes.

Download or read book Poverty Pastoralism and Policy in Ngorongoro written by Naomi Kipuri and published by IIED. This book was released on 2008 with total page 73 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Politics Property and Production in the West African Sahel written by Tor Arve Benjaminsen and published by Nordic Africa Institute. This book was released on 2001 with total page 342 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Through a number of case studies from the West African Sahel, this book links and explores natural resources management from the perspectives of politics, property and production.

Download or read book Managing Resources in Erratic Environments written by Nancy A. McCarthy and published by Intl Food Policy Res Inst. This book was released on 2004-01-01 with total page 102 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This study analyzes the links between risk and the kinds of property rights that have evolved to provide the mobility necessary to raise livestock in drought-prone countries--in this case Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, and Niger. The study also evaluates the impact of cooperation on resource management in these environments. The express purpose of this research is to contribute to the current debate on resource management in highly variable environments, focusing on the impact of climate variability on and the role of cooperation in resource management. More specifically, a conceptual framework is developed to analyze the impact of climatic variability and cooperative capacity on land allocation patterns, stock densities, and patterns of herd mobility. Overall, the empirical results suggest that effective policies for sustainable land management and crisis-response plans may require the design and implementation of mechanisms to increase cooperative capacity.