Get reliable rangeland science

Restoration efforts are influenced by previous human use and management actions which have contributed to different levels of habitat degradation and biodiversity loss. We discuss the monitoring and evaluation of restoration activities tailored to study sites in two adjacent Royal Reserves located in the hyper-arid desert area of central Saudi Arabia. One reserve has been fenced for over 40 years with limited public use. The other was open to life stock grazing until recently and has over one million visitors each year in the winter. Ecological assessments in both reserves identified the extent and scale of degradation which informed restoration priorities. Planned restoration techniques were based on nature-based solutions suitable for these areas. In the more ecological intact reserve, restoring the ecological dynamics was the main focus through the reintroduction of native grazers, i.e. gazelles and oryx. Restoration activities of native flora included rainwater harvesting on an experimental scale. In the open reserve, restoration primarily focuses on restoring the floristic composition. Here we implemented a pilot study to assess if tilling the compacted top crust facilitated germination and establishment of plants. Monitoring the impacts of restoration ef forts is crucial to be able to evaluate if targets are met. We implemented various monitoring techniques to assess changes in vegetation structure and composition, and spatial abundance and presence of newborns of reintroduced animals. Results were used to evaluate if reintroduced animals established themselves and if assisted regeneration led to the germination and growth of plants in the pilot studies. This paper highlights the preliminary empirical assessments of these different restoration techniques fo r rangelands in hyper-arid areas.