Rangeland Health

Rangeland Health PDF Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309048796
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 201

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Book Description
Rangelands comprise between 40 and 50 percent of all U.S. land and serve the nation both as productive areas for wildlife, recreational use, and livestock grazing and as watersheds. The health and management of rangelands have been matters for scientific inquiry and public debate since the 1880s, when reports of widespread range degradation and livestock losses led to the first attempts to inventory and classify rangelands. Scientists are now questioning the utility of current methods of rangeland classification and inventory, as well as the data available to determine whether rangelands are being degraded. These experts, who are using the same methods and data, have come to different conclusions. This book examines the scientific basis of methods used by federal agencies to inventory, classify, and monitor rangelands; it assesses the success of these methods; and it recommends improvements. The book's findings and recommendations are of interest to the public; scientists; ranchers; and local, state, and federal policymakers.

Rangeland Health

Rangeland Health PDF Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309048796
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 201

Get Book Here

Book Description
Rangelands comprise between 40 and 50 percent of all U.S. land and serve the nation both as productive areas for wildlife, recreational use, and livestock grazing and as watersheds. The health and management of rangelands have been matters for scientific inquiry and public debate since the 1880s, when reports of widespread range degradation and livestock losses led to the first attempts to inventory and classify rangelands. Scientists are now questioning the utility of current methods of rangeland classification and inventory, as well as the data available to determine whether rangelands are being degraded. These experts, who are using the same methods and data, have come to different conclusions. This book examines the scientific basis of methods used by federal agencies to inventory, classify, and monitor rangelands; it assesses the success of these methods; and it recommends improvements. The book's findings and recommendations are of interest to the public; scientists; ranchers; and local, state, and federal policymakers.

Interpreting Indicators of Rangeland Health

Interpreting Indicators of Rangeland Health PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Ecological integrity
Languages : en
Pages : 146

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Book Description
"The protocol described in this technical reference is designed to: be used only by knowledgeable, experienced people; provide a preliminary evaluation of soil/site stability, hydrologic function, and biotic integrity (at the ecological site level); be used to communicate fundamental ecological concepts to a wide variety of audiences; improve communication among interest groups by focusing discussion on critical ecosystem properties and processes; select monitoring sites in the development of monitoring programs; provide early warnings of potential problems and opportunities by helping land managers identify areas that are potentially at risk of degradation or where resource problems currently exist"--P. 1.

Interpreting Indicators of Rangeland Health

Interpreting Indicators of Rangeland Health PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Ecological integrity
Languages : en
Pages : 122

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Book Description
"The protocol described in this technical reference is designed to: be used only by knowledgeable, experienced people; provide a preliminary evaluation of soil/site stability, hydrologic function, and biotic integrity (at the ecological site level); be used to communicate fundamental ecological concepts to a wide variety of audiences; improve communication among interest groups by focusing discussion on critical ecosystem properties and processes; select monitoring sites in the development of monitoring programs; provide early warnings of potential problems and opportunities by helping land managers identify areas that are potentially at risk of degradation or where resource problems currently exist"--Page 1.

Rangeland Systems

Rangeland Systems PDF Author: David D. Briske
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 3319467093
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 664

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Book Description
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.

Indicators of Rangeland Health and Functionality in the Intermountain West

Indicators of Rangeland Health and Functionality in the Intermountain West PDF Author: Renee O'Brien
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Ecosystem health
Languages : en
Pages : 20

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Book Description
Rangelands comprise about 42 percent of the land area of the United States and provide vital land functions such as watershed, multiple-use, recreation, and other amenities. Currently, we do not know the status and trends of many of our nation's rangelands, and consistent protocols for describing rangeland system dynamics across land management agencies are lacking. Various Federal land management agencies have responsibility for rangeland inventory and assessments that characterize the health of the nation's rangelands. Many efforts have been initiated to standardize an approach to large-scale monitoring and assessment of rangelands, but none are universally accepted. This paper describes four rangeland health indicators and interpretation criteria that can be used to characterize rangeland health and functionality. The four indicators tested in this study-noxious weeds, ground cover, species composition, and shrub cover-proved to be viable indicators of rangeland health and functionality. The paper recommends that these indicators can be used at many scales, from the site level for local planning, to State and national levels for strategic planning.

Sustainability Indicators

Sustainability Indicators PDF Author: Simon Bell
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 113655601X
Category : Architecture
Languages : en
Pages : 252

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Book Description
Praise for the first edition: 'This book should be of interest to anyone interested in sustainable development, and especially sustainability indicators. Bell and Morse easily succeed in exposing the fundamental paradoxes of these concepts and, more importantly, they offer us a way forward. Readers ... will find their practical recommendations for those attempting to do sustainability analysis in the field most welcome, which is also the book's greatest strength.' Local Environment: The International Journal of Justice and Sustainability 'This book makes a valuable contribution to the theory and practice of using indicators for sustainability. It introduces systems ideas and a range of tools and techniques that have the potential to broaden and deepen our understanding of a whole range of complex situations. Well worth a closer look.' Christine Blackmore, Open University 'This is a book that explores new ways of thinking about how to measure sustainability... It offers stimulating food for thought for environmental educators and researchers.' Environmental Education Research 'This book tells me, as an SI 'practitioner', where I have been and why, and more importantly how I should be thinking in order to effectively present to and empower the local community in the years ahead.' David Ellis, Principal Pollution Monitoring Officer, Norwich City Council 'A practical guide to the development of sustainability indicators which offers a systemic and participative way to use them at local scale. Our preliminary results are highly positive and the approach is applicable in many contexts.' Elisabeth Coudert, Programme Officer Prospective and Regional Development, Blue Plan The groundbreaking first edition of Sustainability Indicators reviewed the development and value of sustainability indicators and discussed the advantage of taking a holistic and qualitative approach rather than focusing on strictly quantitative measures. In the new edition the authors bring the literature up to date and show that the basic requirement for a systemic approach is now well grounded in the evidence. They examine the origins and development of Systemic Sustainability Analysis (SSA) as a theoretical approach to sustainability which has been developed in practice in a number of countries on an array of projects since the first edition. They look at how SSA has evolved into the practical approaches of Systemic Prospective Sustainability Analysis (SPSA) and IMAGINE, and, in particular, how a wide range of participatory methodologies have been adopted over the years. They also provide an assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of projects that undertake work in the general field of sustainable development.

Bioindicators for Assessing Ecological Integrity of Prairie Wetlands

Bioindicators for Assessing Ecological Integrity of Prairie Wetlands PDF Author: Paul R. Adamus
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Biodiversity conservation
Languages : en
Pages : 224

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Book Description


Using Science to Improve the BLM Wild Horse and Burro Program

Using Science to Improve the BLM Wild Horse and Burro Program PDF Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309264944
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 399

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Book Description
Using Science to Improve the BLM Wild Horse and Burro Program: A Way Forward reviews the science that underpins the Bureau of Land Management's oversight of free-ranging horses and burros on federal public lands in the western United States, concluding that constructive changes could be implemented. The Wild Horse and Burro Program has not used scientifically rigorous methods to estimate the population sizes of horses and burros, to model the effects of management actions on the animals, or to assess the availability and use of forage on rangelands. Evidence suggests that horse populations are growing by 15 to 20 percent each year, a level that is unsustainable for maintaining healthy horse populations as well as healthy ecosystems. Promising fertility-control methods are available to help limit this population growth, however. In addition, science-based methods exist for improving population estimates, predicting the effects of management practices in order to maintain genetically diverse, healthy populations, and estimating the productivity of rangelands. Greater transparency in how science-based methods are used to inform management decisions may help increase public confidence in the Wild Horse and Burro Program.

Chesapeake Bay Program Nutrient Trading Fundamental Principles and Guidelines

Chesapeake Bay Program Nutrient Trading Fundamental Principles and Guidelines PDF Author:
Publisher: DIANE Publishing
ISBN: 1428900713
Category : Chesapeake Bay (Md. and Va.)
Languages : en
Pages : 198

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Book Description


The Miombo in Transition

The Miombo in Transition PDF Author: Bruce Morgan Campbell
Publisher: CIFOR
ISBN: 9798764072
Category : Forest ecology
Languages : en
Pages : 273

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Book Description
Miombo woodlands and their use: overview and key issues. The ecology of miombo woodlands. Population biology of miombo tree. Miombo woodlands in the wider context: macro-economic and inter-sectoral influences. Rural households and miombo woodlands: use, value and management. Trade in woodland products from the miombo region. Managing miombo woodland. Institutional arrangements governing the use and the management of miombo woodlands. Miombo woodlands and rural livelihoods: options and opportunities.