Grazing and haying effects on runoff and erosion from a former Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) site near Streeter, North Dakota, were determined. Treatments included undisturbed CRP, twice-over rotational grazing, season-long grazing, haying, and burning. Runoff and erosion were measured from simulated rainfall which was applied to 3.7 x 10.7 m (12.0 X 35.1 ft) plots. Following an initial st...

The theoretical framework of ecosystem services and that of resilience thinking are combined in an empirical case study of a social-ecological system. In the River Helge å catchment in southern Sweden, a slow increase in dissolved organic carbon (DOC) results in brownification of the water with consequences on ecosystem services in the lower part of the catchment of concern by local resource ma...

One of the key factors in managing a rangeland is to determine the relative preference of its major plant species by thegrazing livestock. Preference value of each plant species is affected by plant type, companion plants, availability byanimals, phenological stage, climate condition, and the livestock species. We investigated the grazing behaviour of anative goat (Garizi) in the steppe rangela...

     Periodic vegetation patterns (PVPs) are striking features of many global drylands. Although they have attracted wide research study, resulting in many hypotheses, their origin and controlling factors remain unresolved. Theoretical works dominate a large literature seeking to account for the occurrence and properties of PVPs, especially banded vegetation patterns (‘tiger bush’). In light of...

Climate variability has been evident on the Mongolian plateau in recent decades. Livelihood adaptation to climate variability is important for local sustainable development. This paper applies an analytical framework focused on adaptation, institutions, and livelihoods to study climate adaptation in the Mongolian grasslands. A household survey was designed and implemented in each of three broad...

Aim The conservation of biological and genetic diversity is a major goal of reserve systems at local, regional, and national levels. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources suggests a 12% threshold (area basis) for adequate protection of biological and genetic diversity of a plant community. However, thresholds based on area may protect only a small portion ...

dena biosphere reserve located in iran and is a 550 biosphere reserve in the worlds. this research was investigated in the two protected and non-protected areas, in a dena biosphere reserve, kohkeloye va boyrahmad province, and central zagros forest, southwest of iran. inventory methods designed by systemetic-randomaiz method by use the rectangular plots that were 15×30 meters in the 100×100 m ...

Habitat Conservation Plans (HCPs) under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) are an important mechanism for the acquisition of land and the management of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. HCPs have become a vital means of protecting endangered and threatened species and their habitats throughout the United States, particularly on private land. The scientific consensus that climate is changing and...

Due to that the vegetation has been influenced by human activity for a long period, such as logging, grazing and trampling, giant pandas’ habitat has been fragmented gradually, which has threatened the survival of the giant panda. Therefore, it would be an essential issue to inspect the spatial pattern of the giant panda’s habitat and analyze the factors which drive these habitat changes. The a...