Namaqua Grasslands. File photo
When forests are destroyed, it's called deforestation and it evokes great emotion, but according to Ibrahim Thiaw, executive director of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), the destruction of ancient grasslands is a silent process.
The world's rangelands, or as they are known in South Africa as grasslands, consist of grasslands, savannas, scrublands, wetlands, tundra, and deserts, covering more than half of the earth's surface and up to 50% degraded. is in a dangerous condition. A new UNCCD report warns.
According to the report, this degradation, caused by overuse, misuse, climate change and biodiversity loss, poses a serious threat to food supplies and, in turn, to the well-being and survival of billions of people.
Meadows, pastures and pastures are often perceived as “marginal lands”, with little value until they are transformed by humans, Thiau wrote in the report.
“The word 'development' is often interpreted to mean human actions, agricultural development, destruction of natural habitats, drainage of wetlands, urban development, etc. Rangeland is often referred to as cultivated land, an indication that planners consider rangeland to be more 'developed' by transforming it rather than leaving it natural.”
These vast ecosystems provide biodiversity, support rural livelihoods, account for one-sixth of the world's food production, and account for almost one-third of the planet's carbon stocks.
2 billion people, many of whom are poor and dependent on healthy pasture, including small-scale pastoralists, ranchers, and farmers, and marginalized pastoralists and livestock farmers can influence development policy. I find it difficult.
They “have no voice, no power and are typically underrepresented in political and administrative structures,” the report said. “Although their population is estimated at 500 million, they are sometimes classified as indigenous people and outsiders in society.”
Rangeland degradation is driven primarily by population growth and urban expansion, rapid demand for food, fiber and fuel, and policies that encourage overgrazing, abandonment and overexploitation, leading to the conversion of pastures to agriculture and other land uses.
Ironically, efforts to improve food security and productivity in mostly dry areas by converting rangeland to crop production are resulting in land degradation and reduced crop yields, the report said.
Additionally, rangelands are often poorly understood and reliable data is limited, undermining sustainable management of their value in food supply and climate regulation.
Moreover, they are undermined by weak and ineffective governance, poorly implemented policies and regulations, and a lack of investment in rangeland communities and sustainable production models, the authors said.
A central recommendation is to protect pastoralism, a nomadic way of life that dates back thousands of years. The production focuses on domesticated herbivores such as sheep, goats, cattle, horses, camels, yaks, and llamas, and semi-domesticated species such as bison and reindeer.
Grasslands are an important economic engine and define culture in many countries, the report said. Pastures are also the birthplace of a quarter of the world's languages, host numerous World Heritage Sites, and “have shaped the values, customs and identities of pastoralists for thousands of years.”
In many West African states, 80% of the population is engaged in livestock production. In Central Asia and Mongolia, 60% of the land area is used as grazing land, and livestock farming supports nearly a third of the regional population. Livestock production accounts for 19% of Ethiopia's GDP and 4% of India's GDP. In Brazil, which produces 16% of the world's beef, cattle generate a third of agribusiness's GDP.
In Europe, much pastureland has been replaced by urbanization, afforestation and renewable energy production. In the United States, vast tracts of grassland have been converted to crops, and in Canada, some grasslands have become vulnerable to large-scale mining and infrastructure projects. The report praised growing efforts to reintroduce bison, an animal of cultural significance to indigenous peoples, to promote pasture health and food security in both countries.
A UN report says South Africa has a “serious problem” with the degradation of private and public pastures, and the situation is worsening due to climate change. Reforestation, mining, and conversion of pasture to other uses are driving pasture degradation and loss.
They cover about 74.8% of the country's total land area, according to researcher Andiswa Finka and research team manager Julius Celere from the Agricultural Research Council's Pasture and Feed Science Division.
According to the researchers, rangeland is defined as land whose native vegetation consists primarily of grasses, grass-like plants, shrubs, or shrubs and is used for the production of grazing livestock or wildlife. I am.
“Forests are essential habitats for a diverse range of plants and animals and play a vital role in providing ecosystem services such as water, firewood, grasses for thatch, wild fruits, herbs, medicinal plants and fodder for livestock, and in carbon sequestration.”
They said grazing lands support the livelihoods of some of the country's most economically disadvantaged people, who depend on them for food and cultural practices, especially for grazing livestock.
The country's rangelands are particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change, Finca and Celere agreed.
“Extreme weather events, such as prolonged droughts, rising temperatures, fluctuations in precipitation, and flooding, affect rangeland productivity and are characterized by increased soil erosion, shrub invasion, invasion by exotic plants, and changes in species composition. This also affects grazing ability.”
They said South Africa's land policy had historically ignored local knowledge and prevented effective communal grazing management.
“The application of effective management strategies is crucial for both rangeland sustainability and livestock health. However, currently rangelands are extensively grazed and by the time the dry season arrives there is not enough grazing land left to see animals through the dry and drought periods.”
This occurs on private land and communal grazing land, but is more pronounced in communal areas where access and use of grazing land is collective-based. “In most of these areas, unregulated continuous grazing is prevalent, with animals being herded into communal pastures in the morning and collected in the evening,” Finca and Celere said.
This often leads to overexploitation of certain grass species and underutilization of others, both of which provide opportunities for invaders and allow undesirable grasses to become dominant.
They said the proliferation of woody plants on rangelands is often due to high livestock populations, climate change and suppression of fires that reduce grass cover. Bush encroachment has changed rangelands from grasslands and savannas to forests with little or no forage for livestock.
Mr Finca and Mr Jellere said the extent of shrub invasion was alarming. Their forces have conducted extensive research into the underlying factors that cause this and have developed a variety of interventions.
They added that rangelands are “also repositories of indigenous knowledge systems related to their use and management, and to the ecosystem services they provide.”
