In the countries surrounding the Mediterranean basin, most of the semi-natural grazing lands are covered by rangelands. Rangelands can be defined as highly heterogeneous natural vegetation communities with high conservation value, growing in harsh environments (poor soils, unfavourable climatic conditions). In the recent socio-economic context, traditional livestock grazing practices that enabl...

Biodiversity in rangelands is decreasing, due to intense utilization for livestock production and conversion of rangeland into cropland; yet the outlook of rangeland biodiversity has not been considered in view of future global demand for food. Here we assess the impact of future livestock production on the global rangelands area and their biodiversity. First we formalized existing knowledge ab...

Socioeconomic, political, and policy decisions by the government may influence socioecological changes of land use cover pattern for rangeland people over time. This paper examines historical policy, socioeconomic that influenced in former pastoral community Sanga-Lake Mburo Rangeland Ecosystem South Western Uganda. Data on events were documented from literature supplemented an opportunistic di...

Information about the distribution of grass nitrogen (N) concentration is crucial in understanding rangeland vitality and facilitates effective management of wildlife and livestock. A challenge in estimating grass N concentration using remote sensing in savannah ecosystems is that these areas are characterised by heterogeneity in edaphic, topographic and climatic factors. The objective is to te...

Significant efforts are underway to translate improved understanding of how climate change is altering ecosystems into practical actions for sustaining ecosystem functions and benefits. We explore this transition in California, where adaptation and mitigation are advancing relatively rapidly, through four case studies that span large spatial domains and encompass diverse ecological systems, ins...

Natural History Museum of Crete, University of Crete, Knossos Av., Gr-71409, Irakleio, Crete, Greece Yale Institute for Biospheric Studies, Yale University, 21 Sachem St., New Haven, CT-06520, USA Department of Genetics and Molecular Biotechnology, Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, Thalassocosmos, Gournes Pediados, GR-71003 Irakleio, Crete, Greece WWF Greece-Dadia project, Dadia – Soufli, Gr...

This paper analyzes rancher participation in conservation programs in the context of a social-ecological framework for adaptive rangeland decision-making. We argue that conservation programs are best understood as one of many strategies of adaptively managing rangelands in ways that sustain livelihoods and ecosystem services. The framework hypothesizes four categories of variables affecting con...