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RANGELAND
MANAGEMENT
ASSIGNMENT
Submitted by- Submitted to-
Sandip khadka Murari Raj Joshi
3rd year 1st semester Range Management
Roll no -35
Kathmandu Forestry College
If the consultant company hires you as a rangeland
management expert, how can you apply your knowledge and
skill in
1. rangeland improvement and
2. rangeland inventory?
1) Rangeland Improvement
Range improvement can be done either directly by intervening like seeding,
controlling undesirable/noxious plants, a cultural operation such as weeding,
hoeing, pitting, furrowing, applying fertilizer, irrigation, etc. It can also be
accomplished indirectly by fencing, trail improvement, maintaining water
holes for livestock, sustainable utilization of forage, grazing management, etc.
The aim of range improvement is based on the ecological principles of
competition/succession to increase production of quality of forage species for
the prolonged period maintaining a favorable balance between species by
inducing succession towards desirable direction while achieving effective
utilization of forages produced with high animal production. Range
management can be done by
a) Nutrient management
Nutrient management of range is a subject of great concern for range
improvement. Out of many factors, the nutrient in soil determines the
nutritive value of the range. Nutrient management of range is important for
optimizing the economic return of forage production. Applying organic
manure and inorganic fertilizer for nutrients contributes to improving soil
fertility which in turn positively affects forage production. Improper or
untimely application of organic manure or chemical fertilizer may release
nutrients into the air and water, where they no longer contribute to the soil
fertility and production of the forage. This represents an unsustainable waste
of natural resources.
Successful nutrient-management planning is one part of a very complex
process. It begins with an understanding of how the nutrient cycle takes place
in range and how this can result in environmental problems.
The Nepalese farming system is strongly interlinked with livestock, forestry,
and agriculture. Traditional agriculture is based on an organic source of input
and largely depends upon forest resources and livestock raising practices. The
organic inputs are gradually being supplemented by inorganic sources.
However, the majority of farmers cannot afford to buy inorganic sources of
nutrients. Therefore, mobilization and wise use of locally available resources
are keys to nutrient management in the range.
b) Vegetation manipulation of rangeland
This is special treatment and a method to increase the forage resources and to
facilitate forage use by grazing animals. Vegetation manipulation and
improvement of rangeland are based on the ecological principles that are
plant competition and succession. It helps to increase the desirable forage
species and reduce the competition from undesirable plant species. It also
induces succession in the desired direction through biological and herbs
control.
There are two methods for vegetation manipulation of rangeland. They are:
i. Direct method:
➢ improving the range by seeding
➢ controlling undesirable species
➢ applying fertilizers
➢ pitting and furrowing
➢ water spreading
ii. Indirect method:
➢ improving animal stock water
➢ fencing
➢ developing trails
➢ grazing management
➢ effective utilization of range plants
2) Rangeland Inventory
Rangelands are those lands that naturally produce forage suitable
for grazing but where rainfall is too low or erratic for growing crops. The
management of rangelands depends upon a knowledge of the physical and
biological characteristics of the land. Unless these are known, prescribing
kinds and levels of appropriate use to a specific area is impossible. Effective
range management practices require careful inventories of resource
characteristics.
Rangeland inventory is the process of describing and evaluating the resources
at a rangeland site. It is the process of collecting information and describing
the existing resource status within a management unit. Features included
depend on the purpose of the inventory, but in rangeland, situations are likely
to entail vegetation types, range sites, range condition, carrying capacity, soil
types, utilization patterns, topography, streams, habitat assessments for
wildlife, and improvements such as roads, water points, and fences. Range
inventory is usually carried out to determine:
• Areas suitable for grazing
• Range condition, its trend, and its vegetation types
• Stocking plan
• Range improvement activities
• Grazing management
• Grazing or carrying capacity
• Priority needed
Effective range management practices require careful inventories of resource
characteristics. Range inventory includes:
a) Range classification
It deals with the physical and environmental factors (precipitation,
topography, soils, and broadly defined vegetation communities are the usual
components. They provide a framework for other more intensive inventories.
b) Vegetation type mapping or analysis
Vegetation analysis is a study of range classes or range classification. Range
vegetation can be analyzed through many processes such as:
➢ Species listing
➢ general observation
➢ estimating cover
c) Range suitability analysis
It is the critical study of range classes, each of them in individual form. All the
parameters are dealt with one after another. It is performed mainly for
determining the areas suitable for grazing, the proper utility of the range
standards, and preparing the initial stocking plan under prevailing conditions.
d) Range improvement
Range improvement can be done either directly by intervening in some
operations such as seeding, controlling undesirable/noxious plants, cultural
operations such as weeding, hoeing, pitting, furrowing, applying fertilizer,
irrigation, etc. It can also be accomplished indirectly by fencing, trail
improvement, maintaining water holes for livestock sustainable utilization of
forage, grazing management, and herd management.
e) Range production and utilization
It is for ways of assessing the current grazing pressure exerted by foraging
animals as a means of determining the appropriateness of current stocking
levels or management systems. Utilization of the physiological requirements
of the vegetation requires adjustment in livestock numbers. Unequal
utilization throughout a grazing unit suggests the need for improvement in
management practices.
f) Season of the range use
It is to determine the grazing capacity of rangeland either for domestic
livestock or wild herbivores. In this special consideration is given to plant
species and types which are preferred as forage, though other physical and
biological data bearing on range productivity and management procedures
may be included.
