Get reliable rangeland science

Effective integration of the three main goals of rangeland management - economic gain through livestock production, management of game animals for recreational use, and conservation of biological diversity - is essential and will form a cornerstone of conservation of biological diversity for future generations. Rangelands encompass nearly 50% of the earth's land area and is defined as land where people have intervened to manage the vegetation with livestock for economic gain. The introduction of domestic animals to a natural plant community has profund effects on the composition of the vegetation, soil erosion by wind and water, and on the population density and species compositions of native organisms. Ranglands vasry in their biological and economic productivity throughout the world and the greatest impacts on biodiversity usually occur onsites with the highest productivity. Worldwide overgrazing is the primary issue in range management. The basic tenet of range science is thatthe reduction of number of livestock animals will lead to greater productivity per unit area. Other factors affecting rangelands are discussed including perturbations by traditional grazing practices, management of western rangelands, problems with animal management, introduced domestic animals, and management of native animals for meat production. A classification into four categories is presented with opportunities for proper management to enhance biological diversity and range productivity discussed for each type. Ways to manage rangelands for biodiversity include fire and utilization of restoration techniques.