Cattle grazing on pastures that were on an ecological knife edge and desertification.

 

Photo credit: International Business Times

The Sahara desert was lush and green 10,000 years ago. Within a few thousand years it became barren. Humans are now thought to have pushed it over the edge – Wonker / Flickr

Did humans turn the Sahara from a lush, green landscape into a desert?

Cattle grazing on pastures that were on an ecological knife edge could have pushed the Sahara onto the path of desertification.

• By Martha Henriques

The Sahara used to be a fertile landscape with lush vegetation thousands of years ago, but something killed that landscape, leaving only desert behind. Neolithic humans may have played a role in pushing it over the edge of an ecological tipping point, an archaeological study finds.

The Sahara used to be a lush, green environment as little as 6,000 years ago, when humans grazed cattle on green pastures. Theories for what turned the Sahara into a desert in a period of just a few thousand years include shifting circulation in the tropical atmosphereand changes in the Earth’s tilt.

Archaeological evidence now suggests that Neolithic humans who grazed cattle on the Saharan pastures played a role as well. These pastoral communities pushed the delicate ecosystem past a tipping point that led to widespread desertification, according to a paper published in the journal Frontiers in Earth Science.

Study author David Wright of Seoul National University, South Korea, mapped the spread of scrub vegetation, which is a precursor to full desertification, and evidence of Neolithic cattle grazing. As more and more vegetation was removed from the land, the albedo – or amount of light reflected from the ground – increased, changing the atmospheric conditions over the Sahara. This in turn made monsoon rains less frequent.

About 8,000 years ago, cattle-grazing communities originated near the River Nile and began gradually to spread to the west of the continent. Rather than the spread of the communities happening in response to desertification and loss of vegetation, the humans could have been actively driving the desertification, Wright suggests.

Read the full story: International Business Times

Grazers hasten ecosystem collapse from drought

 

 

Pressures from grazers hastens ecosystem collapse from drought

Experiments show grazing pressures compound drought stress, delay recovery

Date:

January 11, 2017

Source:

Duke University

Summary:

Ecosystem collapse from extreme drought can be significantly hastened by pressures placed on drought-weakened vegetation by grazers and fungal pathogens, a new study finds. The study’s experimental evidence shows that the natural enemies of plants play a major role in lowering resilience to drought and preventing recovery afterward. The finding may be applicable to a wide range of ecosystems now threatened by climate-intensified drought, including marshes, mangroves, forests and grasslands.

 

A new study by scientists at Duke University and Beijing Normal University may hold the answer why.

The researchers found that these tipping points can happen much sooner than current models predict because of the added pressures placed on drought-weakened plants by grazing animals and fungal pathogens.

“Our work provides the first real-world experimental evidence that these natural enemies of plants can play a dramatic role in lowering ecosystems’ tipping point by killing drought-weakened vegetation and preventing plants from recovering,” said Brian R. Silliman, Rachel Carson Associate Professor of Marine Conservation Biology at Duke’s Nicholas School of the Environment.

Ecologists have long known that drought can stimulate this type of attack on plants, he said, but they mostly discounted it as a secondary stress and not a main cause of ecosystem collapse.

“What we found is the opposite,” Silliman said. “Grazers have a strong compounding effect. This means these ecosystems are far more vulnerable to drought than the current models predict. With grazers present, they can handle much less drought stress.”

Read the full story: Science Daily

Protecting the environment, empowering people(IFAD)

 

 

https://www.ifad.org/documents/10180/e036916a-9d15-463f-8952-56d1566d7ac8

The Drylands Advantage

Protecting the environment, empowering people 

“Recognition of the true value of ecosystem services, and of the opportunities they offer, will enable better planning and realization of the full economic potential of dryland ecosystems, rebutting the common perception that drylands are ‘economic wastelands’” (IUCN, 2009).

Table of Contents

Acronyms 4

Introduction 5

China: Boosting biodiversity for benefits to people and the environment 9

Jordan: Sustainable land management 15

Nicaragua: Nutrition security in the Dry Corridor in the face of El Niño 21

Senegal: What a little freshwater can do 27

Swaziland: Grass-roots governance beats overgrazing and gully erosion 32

Conclusions and next steps 37

References and resources consulted 39

L’utilisation des ressources naturelles au Sahel et en Afrique de l’Ouest

 

 

Conventions locales de gestion des ressources naturelles: schema pastoral au sud du Mali

by JONATHAN ODHONG

En Afrique de l’Ouest, comme dans la plupart des pays d’Afrique Sub-Sahélienne, les ressources naturelles constituent la base de la vie quotidienne des hommes, particulièrement pour les pauvres qui dans la majorité des cas vivent dans le milieu rural où leur moyens de subsistances dépendent presque exclusivement des activités agricoles et de l’élevage.

La production agricole et l’élevage caractérise essentiellement l’économie de la région et se situe au cœur de l’utilisation des ressources naturelles au Sahel et en Afrique de l’Ouest. De nombreux facteurs, tels que l’augmentation constante de la population et l’accroissement des troupeaux, ont pour conséquence l’apparition d’une pression croissante sur ces ressources.

Cette vidéo met en évidence une tentative réussie par ILRI et AMEDD pour arrêter ce problème dans le sud du Mali.

Read the full story: Africa Rising

Climate, desertification, drought, rangeland management and overgrazing.

 

 

Rangeland management and climate hazards in drylands: dust storms, desertification and the overgrazing debate

by Nick Middleton

in Natural Hazards (2016). – doi:10.1007/s11069-016-2592-6

http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11069-016-2592-6

Abstract

This paper examines the theory and supporting evidence for links between desertification, drought and dust storms with a particular focus on studies undertaken in and around the Gobi Desert.

Overgrazing of rangeland by pastoralists has been the most commonly cited cause of desertification in global drylands for more than 30 years, but the evidence supporting this link is not always convincing. Nonetheless, overgrazing, desertification and dust storms are frequently connected, regardless.

Drought is another well-known and important driver of vegetation cover change. Distinguishing between vegetation cover adversely affected by drought and that reduced by grazing is imperative for policy makers because identifying the incorrect driver of vegetation change risks the development of inappropriate policy.

Open Access Original Paper

First Online:

11 October 2016

DOI: 10.1007/s11069-016-2592-6

African dairy and “wonder grass” repatriated from Brazil

 

 

Brachiaria: The ‘wonder grass’ that could transform African dairy

by SUSAN MACMILLAN

Sita Ghirmire, a senior scientist and Brachiaria specialist working at the BecA-ILRI Hub (Biosciences eastern and central Africa-International Livestock Research Institute Hub), located at ILRI’s headquarters, in Nairobi, Kenya. – https://ilriclippings.files.wordpress.com/2016/06/ghimiresita_cropped.jpg?w=500&h=581

Sourcing fodder poses a big headache to many dairy farmers. Brachiaria, a grass repatriated to Africa from Brazil, is good for grazing, can be baled as hay, and increases milk production.

………………..

Brachiaria grass is indigenous to Af­rica, but has been growing wild until recently. It was taken to other parts of the world, including Australia and South America, where it was improved to get superior varieties, some of which arc now being promoted in Kenya.

Read the full article: ILRI CLIPPINGS

Desertification, overgrazing and conflicts

Photo credit: Ecologist

The edge of an experimental sheep grazing exclusion zone (to the right) within Al Talila Reserve, Palmyra, photographed in March 2008 in the midst of an intense drought period. Sheep quasi uncontrolled grazing was allowed to the left of the fence. Grazing of reintroduced native antelopes at low densities had been allowed within the exclusion zone for a period of 10 years. Photo: Gianluca Serra.

Over-grazing and desertification in the Syrian steppe are the root causes of war

by Gianluca Serra

Civil war in Syria is the result of the desertification of the ecologically fragile Syrian steppe, writes Gianluca Serra – a process that began in 1958 when the former Bedouin commons were opened up to unrestricted grazing. That led to a wider ecological, hydrological and agricultural collapse, and then to a ‘rural intifada’ of farmers and nomads no longer able to support themselves.

———

A major role in this unfolding disaster was played by affluent urban investors who threw thousands of livestock into the steppe turning the grazing into a large-scale, totally unsustainable, industrial practice.

Desertification and overgrazing

 

The role of overgrazing as an anthropogenic cause of desertification in the GCC countries: a comparative study of the situation in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia

by Andy S. Spiess, Fareed H. Al-Darwish

Paper presented at the International Conference on Human Impacts on Soil Quality Attributes In Arid and Semi – Arid Regions, Isfahan University of Technology, September 12-16, 2005, Isfahan, Iran.

Introduction

In recent decades, land degradation in more arid regions of the world such as the Arabian Peninsula has become a serious concern. The threats, manifest as both desertification and land degradation in general, are caused primarily by anthropogenic activities, such as deforestation, excessive cultivation due to inappropriate agricultural projects, proliferation of invasive aliens, overgrazing, and other forms of land resource exploitation such as and oil and gas surveys. Inadequate irrigation practices, persecution and socio-economic changes, the latter apparent in the decline of traditional farming and land-use practices exacerbate this process severely.

Desertification should however be reviewed in the context of sustainable development, since it is directly connected to human challenges such as poverty, social and economic well-being, as well as environmental protection. Since land degradation caused by desertification processes affect the ability of the soil to sustain agricultural production, they concomitantly contribute to poverty. As population increases and demographic concentrations shift towards uncontrolled urbanization, the extent of land subject to stresses by those seeking to wrest subsistence from it has inexorably risen. Since broader environmental issues, such as climate change, biological diversity and freshwater supplies are indirectly related, any effort to resolve this environmental challenge must entail coordinated research efforts and joint action. The failure to act now will greatly compound the cost and complexity of later remedial efforts, and because environmental degradation is beginning to pose a major threat to human well-being, especially among the poor in the region.

 

Read the full paper: http://www.curriculumvitaespiess.ndrd.org/html/the_role_of_overgrazing_as_an_.html

Desertification and over-grazing

Photo credit: The Ecologist

The edge of an experimental sheep grazing exclusion zone (to the right) within Al Talila Reserve, Palmyra, photographed in March 2008 in the midst of an intense drought period. Sheep quasi uncontrolled grazing was allowed to the left of the fence. Grazing of reintroduced native antelopes at low densities had been allowed within the exclusion zone for a period of 10 years. Photo: Gianluca Serra.

Over-grazing and desertification in the Syrian steppe are the root causes of war

by Gianluca Serra

Civil war in Syria is the result of the desertification of the ecologically fragile Syrian steppe, writes Gianluca Serra – a process that began in 1958 when the former Bedouin commons were opened up to unrestricted grazing. That led to a wider ecological, hydrological and agricultural collapse, and then to a ‘rural intifada’ of farmers and nomads no longer able to support themselves.

Back in 2009, I dared to forecast that if the rampant desertification process gripping the Syrian steppe was not halted soon, it could eventually become a trigger for social turmoil and even for a civil war.

I was being interviewed by the journalist and scholar Francesca de Chatel- and was feeling deeply disillusioned about Syrian government’s failure to heed my advice that the steppe, which covers over half of the country’s land mass, was in desperate need of recuperation.

I had just spent a decade (four years of which serving a UN-FAO project aimed at rehabilitating the steppe) trying to advocate that livestock over-grazing of the steppe rangelands was the key cause of its ecological degradation.

However, for the Syrian government’s staff, it was far too easy to identify and blame prolonged droughts (a natural feature of this kind of semi-arid environment) or climate change (which was already becoming a popular buzzword in those years). These external causes served well as a way to escape from any responsibility – and to justify their inaction.

Read the full article: The Ecologist

Combating desertification with spineless cacti

Photo credit: Renewable Energy World

Image: Cultivated Opuntia (prickly pear cactus)

The spineless variety, easy to grow, easy to feed

Success story and best practice, the Opuntias

OPUNTIA SPP. – A STRATEGIC FODDER AND EFFICIENT TOOL TO COMBAT DESERTIFICATION IN THE WANA REGION

Ali NEFZAOUI and Hichem BEN SALEM

EXCERPT

Therefore, most of the WANA countries are seeking appropriate tools to prevent rangeland degradation and restore productivity. Some of the improved rangeland techniques include (i) reduction of stocking rates; (ii) controlled and deferred grazing; (iii) periodic resting; (iv) extended water supplies; (v) reseeding; and (vi) shrub planting.

Moreover, productivity can be improved by increasing feed supplies from alternative sources, including (i) legumes or other forage crops grown in place of fallow; (ii) fodder banks of naturally grown legumes fertilized with phosphate; (iii) treatment and suitable supplementation of straw; and (iv) other crop residues and agro-industrial by-products. In addition, a planned government strategy for drought relief should reduce the risk to small ruminant producers and increase production.

The search for appropriate plant species to grow in arid areas is a permanent concern of most people living in harsh environments. Cactus species fit most of the requirements of a drought-resistant fodder crop. According to De Kock (1980), they must:

• * be relatively drought resistant, survive long droughts, and produce large quantities of fodder during the rainy season, which can be utilized during dry season;
• * have a high carrying capacity;
• * supply succulent fodder to animals during droughts;
• * not have an adverse effect on the health of the animals utilizing it;
• * tolerate severe utilization and have high recovery ability after severe utilization;
• * have a low initial cost (establishment and maintenance); and
• * tolerate a wide range of soil and climatic conditions, so that they can be planted where the production of ordinary fodder crops is uncertain.

The future of the arid and semi-arid zones of the world depends on the development of sustainable agricultural systems and on the cultivation of appropriate crops. Suitable crops for these areas must withstand drought, high temperature and poor soil fertility. The opuntias fit most of these requirements and they are important to the economy of arid zones, for both subsistence and market-oriented activities (Barbera, 1995).

IMPORTANCE OF CACTI IN ARID ZONES

The increased importance of cacti in arid zones is because of their ability to:

be more efficient than grasses or legumes in converting water to dry matter, based on their specialized photosynthetic mechanism (CAM) (Russell and Felker, 1987a; Nobel, 1989a)

remain succulent during drought;

produce forage, fruit, and other useful products; and

prevent long-term degradation of ecologically weak environments.

It is suggested that cacti, and Opuntia spp. in particular, were introduced into the WANA region by Spanish Moors. Nevertheless, large plantations were not established until the 1900s. These plantations were implemented to create living fodder banks to feed animals during drought and to combat desertification.

 

Read the full article: FAO

Desertification in Mu Us Sandland

 

The Study on Peasant Household’s Land Resource Use Behavior and Its Impacts on Desertification in Mu Us Sandland

Farmers’ production and life have been seriously affected by desertification, and land desertification has become one of the most serious environment problem in rural. Human activities have direct impacts on the formation and expansion of land desertification. The main reason of land desertification in northern farming-pastoral region is the excessive use of land. It is an important factor for us to research farmers’ behavior and then to make measures to control land desertification.

Based on peasant households’ Economic theory, this paper makes a research on 131 peasant households of WuShenqi and EQianqi in Inner Mongolia Mu Us Sandland and combined with factors of resource, policy and market in order to analyze the relationship between behavior of peasant households and the desertification. Finally, several suggestions and policy recommendations are raised to cope with desertification and sustainable land use.

The study methods consisted of Descriptive Statistics, Multinomial Regression Model. Specifically, Multinomial Regression Models were applied to analyze factors affecting the famers’ land reclamation behavior, the use of alternative energy and households’ willingness to prohibit grazing.

The conclusions of the article are:

Firstly, peasant households’ activities on the use of land resources are affected by many factors, and the leading factors are very different:

(1) The population pressure has a significant impact on land reclamation;

(2) Animal husbandry production scale depends on Agricultural resource endowment;

(3) The family income levels and market factors have great impacts on household’s use of alternative energy sources;

(4) Due to different resource endowments between farmers and pastoralists, the use of the land is different.

Secondly, for breaking through resources constraints and meeting their production and living needs, the households take some effective measures.

The effects are:

(1) The use of alternative energy sources can effectively reduce the volume of fuel wood collection;

(2) The way of pasture lease can expand the scale of animal husbandry, but it is difficult to ease the pressure on the grassland.

Thirdly, ecological Engineering and policies have some different effects.

This study gives a brief assessment on the aerial sowing project and the grazing prohibition policy, and the conclusions are:

(1) Peasant households gain benefit from the aerial sowing project, and have strong desires to participating;

(2) Most farmers do not comply with the grazing prohibition policy, and their enthusiasm is not high.

At the end of this paper, the suggestions on promoting the transfer of rural labor force, encouraging the use of alternative energy sources, encouraging farmers to participate the sandland controlling and the industries are put forward.

See the text: Agricultural Science Paper

Pastoralism and the Green Economy

Photo credit: Google

World map showing the traditional pastoralist regions today with the Saami, Mongol, Masai (anthro.palomar.edu)

UNEP, IUCN Report Says Pastoralism Critical to Green Economy Transition

 

 

 

The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) have published a report concluding that pastoralism-extensive livestock production in rangelands should be treated as a key element in the global transition to a green economy, as it provides “enormous benefits to humanity.”

Pastoralists with cows at a market. Credit: Nena Terrell/USAID – http://www.usaid.gov – http://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/success_story/IMG_1009.JPG

The report, titled ‘Pastoralism and the Green Economy – a Natural Nexus?,’ addresses: the role of pastoralism in protecting natural capital; pastoralism’s resource efficiency and sustainable production in dryland environments; and conditions that enable pastoralism to deliver on its green economy potential. It calls for, inter alia, a global development framework for sustainable pastoralism.

A cattle herder drives his animals in Tanzania. The study linked the spread of pastoralism with the ability to digest milk. – http://www.upenn.edu/pennnews/sites/default/files/imagecache/tiny_thumb/news/images/hires/IMG_6342.JPG

Released during the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) 3rd Scientific Conference in Cancun, Mexico, the report finds that sustainable pastoralism on rangeland ecosystems, such as desert grasslands, woodlands and steppes: maintains soil fertility and soil carbon; contributes to water regulation and biodiversity conservation; and provides goods such as high-value food products.

Nomadic pastoralism around the world – en.academic.ru – http://en.academic.ru/pictures/enwiki/78/Nomads_and_Cattle_Tamil_Nadu.JPG

The publication points out that though pastoralism is practiced by up to half a billion people globally, lack of investment has eroded this way of life in many developing countries.

Read the full article: IISD