5th Topic Rangeland Introduction
Contents of topics
Introduction
IMPORTANCE OF RANGELANDS
Components of Rangelands
Problems of rangelands in Pakistan
1. Introduction
• Definition:
“Rangeland is uncultivated land that is suitable
for grazing and browsing
animals. Rangeland is one of the major types
of land in the world”
• Globally rangelands are used to raise livestock .
• The grasses and shrubs that grow on rangelands are an
important source of forage for grazing animals.
Rangelands are important habitat for many species of
wildlife.
• Additionally, rangelands provide renewable resources
such as clean water and wind for energy production and
non-renewable resources like oil, coal, and other
minerals.
• About 60% of the total area of the country comprises
rangelands. The area partly supports 93.5 million head
of livestock. Rangelands are mostly used for livestock
grazing in northern Pakistan. Balochistan, which covers
about 40 percent area of the country, primarily depends
on livestock production from its rangeland.
• Similarly in the Punjab and Sindh, livestock rearing is an
important source of income in the arid and semi arid
areas. Currently, sheep and goat obtain major portion of
feed from rangelands while horses, donkeys and camel
receive about half of their feed from rangelands.
• Rangeland is uncultivated land that is suitable for
grazing and browsing animals. Rangeland is one of
the major types of land in the world. (Other types
are: forest, desert, pasture, and urban/industrial.).
• Rangelands are grasslands, shrublands, wetlands (A
place where water is accumulated in a huge amount
,permanently eg dam or non-permanently rain
water), and deserts that are grazed by domestic
livestock or wild animals.
• Balochistan has a total area of 34 million hectare, of
which only 4% (1.47 mha) is under cultivation, while
60% of the cultivated area is rain fed.
Approximately, 93 % of this area is characterized as
rangelands.
• According to PARC about 60% of the total area of our
country comprises of rangeland. Balochistan which
covers about 40% area of the country, primarily
depends on livestock production from its rangeland
similarly, in the Punjab, and Sindh, livestock rearing is
an important source of income in the arid and semi-
arid area.
• According to international publication, around 399
million acres (1,610,000 km²) of rangeland are
privately owned. The Bureau of Land Management
manages about 167 million acres (676,000 km²) of
publicly owned rangeland, with the United States
Forest Service managing approximately 95 million
acres (380,000 km²) more.
2. IMPORTANCE OF RANGELANDS
• Rangelands cover a lot of ground i.e. 45% of the earth’s surface,
it’s also important for ecosystem services and for humans.
Rangelands primarily covered by natural vegetation, provide
grazing and forage for livestock and wildlife.
• Rangeland and grassland ecosystems provide many benefits vital
to agriculture and the environment.
The importance of rangelands are including:
• Land for farming
• Grazing and forage for livestock and native animals
• Watersheds for rural and urban uses
• Habitat for plants, insects, and animals
• Water for sustainable landscapes
• Potential renewable energy and mineral resources
3.Components of Rangelands:
A rangeland consists of following components:
Site, Vegetation, Livestock, Man
Site:
Site is A piece of land along with all associated environment factors.
(Climate etc.)
It is including soil fertility, topography (Topography is the study of the forms and
features of land surfaces), hydrology (the branch of science concerned with the properties
of the earth's water, and especially its movement in relation to land) and climate (the
weather conditions prevailing in an area in general or over a long period).
Vegetation:
Green plants which are suitable for grazing.
Livestock:
Small, medium and large animals, capable of grazing and browsing in the open
area and producing meat, milk and wool etc. the livestock consume range
vegetation products and converts them into high quality and high value animal
products such as animal fat and animal meat, milk, fiber etc.
Man:
Man is capable of applying science and technology on site, vegetation and
livestock.
4. Problems of rangelands in pakistan
There are following problematic factors of rangelands:
• Climatic extreme:
Most important limiting factor is low rainfall. Most water is lost
through run off (the draining away of water (or substances carried
in it) from the surface of an area of land, a building or structure,
etc).
Water holding capacity of range soil is low. Although water is the
most limited resource but unfortunately it is at the same time
most wasted resource.
• Biotic Pressure:
As a result of conversion of best rangelands into irrigated farm
lands and because of population explosion during last 100 years,
the grazing pressure on remaining rangelands increased
immensely. Continues misuse and overuse is the main cause of
present low productivity of our rangelands and their degradation
into wild lands.
• Absence of national targets and policy:
So far there are no national targets and national policy about the
development of range areas of Pakistan, adoption of laws are
must for achieving development of our rangeland areas.
• Absence of management authorities
• Lack of awareness
• Lack of research
• Lack of funds
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