Grassland of the world http://www.fao.org/docrep/008/y8344e/y8344e00.

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Plant Production and Protection Series No. 34

GRASSLANDS
of the
WORLD

Edited by
J.M. Suttie, S.G. Reynolds and C. Batello

FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS

ROME 2005
Table of Contents

The views expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect
the views of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

The mention or omission of specific companies, their products or brand names does not imply
any endorsement or judgement by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

The designations employed and the presentation of material in this information product do
not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations concerning the legal or development status of any
country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its
frontiers or boundaries.

ISBN 92-5-105337-5
ISSN 0259-2525

All rights reserved. Reproduction and dissemination of material in this information product for
educational or other non-commercial purposes are authorized without any prior written
permission from the copyright holders provided the source is fully acknowledged. Reproduction
of material in this information product for resale or other commercial purposes is prohibited
without written permission of the copyright holders. Applications for such permission should be
addressed to the Chief, Publishing Management Service, Information Division, FAO, Viale delle
Terme di Caracalla, 00100 Rome, Italy or by e-mail to copyright@fao.org

© FAO 2005

CONTENTS

Foreword
Acknowledgements
Contributors
Glossary of technical terms and abbreviations used in the text

Chapter 1 - INTRODUCTION

Purpose of the book

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Structure of the book

Complementary information resources
References

Chapter 2 - THE CHANGING FACE OF PASTORAL SYSTEMS IN GRASS DOMINATED

ECOSYSTEMS OF EASTERN AFRICA
R.S. Reid, S. Serneels, M. Nyabenge and J. Hanson

Scope

Mapping rangelands, livestock and pastoral peoples

Plant communities in grasslands and rangelands

Political and social systems in pastoral lands of eastern Africa
Integration of grasslands into smallholder farming systems
Case studies of the evolution of extensive range systems over the last 40 years

General
Evolution of land use changes in the semi-arid rangelands
surrounding the Serengeti-Mara Ecosystem, straddling the Kenyan-
Tanzanian border
Protected areas and local land use: source of conflict in Tanzania
Control of the tsetse fly and evolution of a subhumid-grassland in
southwestern Ethiopia: Ghibe Valley

Current research in pastoral systems of eastern Africa

Management of grasslands
Desertification: driven by climate or overgrazing by livestock?

How have pastoral ecosystems changed in response to livestock and human-use

changes?

Overgrazing
Competition between livestock and wildlife
Changes in rangeland burning regimes
Rangeland fragmentation and loss of wildlife habitat
Impacts of expansion of cultivation and settlement
Carbon sequestration
Bush encroachment
Rehabilitation of grasslands

Priorities for research and development programmes in pastoral lands

Some history
Rapidly changing systems with changing needs
Focus generally on human welfare and maintaining environmental
goods and services
More emphasis on providing pastoral people with high quality
information
Restoring pastoral access to key resources, increasing mobility and
flexibility, and ensuring security
Addressing gaps in our knowledge about how pastoral systems
work in eastern Africa
Addressing gaps in our knowledge about how these systems can be
improved

References

Chapter 3 - GRASSLANDS OF SOUTH AFRICA

Anthony R. Palmer and Andrew M. Ainslie

Introduction
Physical features
Climate

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Rainfall
Seasonality of rainfall
Temperatures
Soils

People
Livestock
Wildlife
Land tenure

Freehold and commercial sector

Communal and subsistence sector

Authorities responsible for management

Market systems
Landforms and agro-ecological zones

Biomes

Grassland
Savannah
Nama-karoo
Thicket
Succulent karoo
Fynbos
Forest

Pastoral and agricultural systems

Veldt grazing

Legume and fodder introduction

Dryland fodder
Irrigated fodder
Exceptional circumstances fodder
Constraints to pasture and fodder production and improvement
Evolution of grasslands over the last 40 years
Research
Management of grasslands

Development of techniques for the rehabilitation of grasslands

Sustainable management of the environment and maintenance of
biodiversity
Seed production

Recommendations and lessons learned concerning sustainable grassland

management

Maintenance of production and productivity

Priorities for the development of programmes and research

References

Chapter 4 - GRASSLANDS OF PATAGONIA

Andrés F. Cibils and Pablo R. Borrelli

Introduction
Political system
Land tenure

Aboriginal distribution
Welsh colonization
First settlers
Last settlers
Management authorities

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Market systems

Wool market systems

Meat marketing

Dominant natural vegetation

Patagonian shrub steppes

Semi-deserts and shrub steppes
Shrub-grass and grass-shrub steppes
Grass steppes
Monte shrubland s and Monte ecotone

Pastoral and agricultural systems

Sheep farming systems

Grazing management
Sheep management

Fine-wool production systems

Lamb and fine-crossbred-wool production systems

Ongoing research, management, restoration and biodiversity maintenance

activities

Research activities
Management activities

Restoration activities
Biodiversity maintenance

Seed production

Recommendations and lessons learned

Adaptive management - the Santa Cruz example

The value of simple or flexible stocking strategies
Conflict between short- and long-term production

References

Chapter 5 - THE SOUTH AMERICAN CAMPOS ECOSYSTEM

Olegario Royo Pallarés (Argentina), Elbio J. Berretta (Uruguay) and Gerzy E. Maraschin
(Brazil)

Introduction
General description of the region

Climate
Livestock production
Wildlife
Floristic composition
Climax vegetation

Grassland types and production systems in Argentina

Growth and forage production

Production systems
Productivity of the best farms

Grassland types and production systems in Uruguay

Vegetation limitations for animal production

Production systems

Grassland production systems in Southern Brazil

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Dry matter accumulation in natural grasslands

Optimizing animal production from natural grassland ecosystems
Natural grassland dynamics

Fertilizing Campos grassland

Fertilization in Argentina
Fertilization of Campos Grasslands in Uruguay
Fertilization of natural grasslands in southeast Brazil
Structural changes on fertilized natural grasslands in SE Brazil

Improvement techniques

Over-seeding
Legume introduction
Sward preparation for seeding
Legumes for improvement
Stock management

Research and development priorities

Ecological grassland management for maintaining productivity

References

Chapter 6 - GRASSLANDS OF CENTRAL NORTH AMERICA

Rex D. Pieper

Introduction
Location and general description of the region
Climate
Topography and soils
Fauna
Vegetation patterns
Primary production
Pastoral and agricultural systems

Crop production
Grazing management
Balancing seasonal variations of forage supply
Grazing systems
Intensification?
Rangeland burning
Development of grasslands
Current status of grassland research and management

Future of the Great Plains

References

Chapter 7 - GRAZING MANAGEMENT IN MONGOLIA

J.M. Suttie

Introduction

Changes in administrative systems in the twentieth century

Grazing lands, pasture and fodder

Hay from natural pasture in arkhangai

Grazing livestock production

Livestock in herding systems
Evolution of stock numbers
Intensive livestock production

The present grazing situation

The recent droughts and zuds

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Sustainability
References

Chapter 8 - THE TIBETAN STEPPE

Daniel J. Miller

Introduction
General description
Climate
Grassland biodiversity

Dominant natural vegetation

Vegetational attributes

Botanical composition
Grassland productivity

Nutrient content of herbage

Grassland degradation

The Tibetan Pastoral Production System

Historical and cultural aspects

Livestock management
Herds on the move
Land tenure
Transformation of the traditional pastoral production system
Snowstorms and pastoral system dynamics

Dilemma on the Tibetan Steppe

Mobility

Conclusion
References

Chapter 9 - AUSTRALIAN GRASSLANDS

John G. McIvor

Introduction
Location
Physical features
Climate

Rainfall
Temperature and evaporation
Growing seasons

Soils
Livestock
Wildlife
Social aspects and institutions

People
Political system
Land tenure and ownership
Authorities responsible for land management
Market systems
Pastoral and agricultural systems

Natural vegetation
Tropical tall -grass

Brigalow
Xerophytic mid-grass
Temperate tall -grass

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Temperate short -grass

Sub-alpine sodgrass
Saltbush-xerophytic mid -grass
Acacia shrub-short -grass
Xerophytic tussockgrass
Xerophytic hummockgrass

Sown pastures

Temperate pastures
Tropical pastures

Available species and cultivars

Seed production
Current grassland issues

Research
Management of grasslands
Resource issues and rehabilitation
Biodiversity in grasslands
Environmental management

Sustainable pasture management: learning from the past, managing for the future

Importance of legumes
Role of native pastures
Environmental weeds

Future
References

Chapter 10 - THE RUSSIAN STEPPE

Joseph G. Boonman and Sergey S. Mikhalev

Introduction
The steppe in perspective
Semantics
Climate, vegetation and soils
Ecological classification
Ecological (site) potential
Ramenskii’s grassland classification
Botanical condition (ecological monitoring)
Steppe dynamics in relation to botanical composition

Weather
From fallow to steppe
The Steppe and its types
Forest steppe
Steppe
Virgin steppe
Semi-desert

Meadow types

Liman
Floodplain meadows

Fallow

Mid-term to old fallow

Young fallow
Avenues of steppe improvement

Management interventions

Grazing

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Grazing (stocking) management

Haymaking
Fire
Ploughing
Physical improvements

Examples of the effect of management on botanical composition

Fertilizer
Mid-term depression
Sown forage
The dilemma
Crop-pasture rotations
Physical effects of grasses on the soil
Mixed farming based on crop-grass rotations
Conclusions
References

Chapter 11 - OTHER GRASSLANDS

Introduction
Africa

North Africa
West Africa
Madagascar

South America

The Llanos
The Gran Chaco
Pampas
Flooding Pampas grasslands
Cropland Pampas cultivated pastures
Monte shrubland

Asia

Central Asia

China
South Asia

Himalaya-Hindu Kush
India
Pakistan

The near east

Syrian Arab Republic

Jordan

Europe

Turkey

Bibliography

Chapter 12 - GRASSLAND PERSPECTIVES

Introduction
Grassland systems
The state of the grasslands
Grassland development, improvement and rehabilitation

Grassland resources
Pasture development methods

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Herd management

Stocking rates and stock distribution

The lean season
Stratification

Sown pasture and fodder

Sown fodder

Social and economic factors

Tenure
Markets and trade
Herder organization and community participation
Demotic factors
Diversification

Grassland in the environment

Some conclusions
References

BACK COVER

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