Browsing by Person "Michler, Lena M."

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Love your wet grass! Dry season grazing reserves show highest grass regrowth in communal semi-arid rangelands of Tanzania
(2024) Baumgartner, Sabine A.; Smith, Stuart W.; Bartzke, Gundula S.; Laizar, Oloshiro; Ploechl, Jane F.; Michler, Lena M.; Naro, Elizabeth M.; Treydte, Anna C.
Land management by seasonal migratory herding, traditionally implemented by pastoralists, has allowed semi-arid rangeland ecosystems to remain productive and resilient to highly erratic, seasonal rainfall patterns. Changing pastoralist practices and rainfall patterns due to climate change have the potential to negatively influence the resilience of rangelands. To test the impact of different communal rangeland practices and increasing frequency of disturbance on the rangelands’ vegetation, we established a clipping experiment in three rangeland management types: rainy season rangeland, dry season rangeland and seasonal exclosures, in the Maasai Steppe, northern Tanzania. Across these rangeland management types, we tested two clipping frequencies monthly vs. once per growing period and either fenced or open to grazing (herbivory) over two consecutive growing periods. We found that rainy season rangeland exhibited lowest regrowth rates and highest proportion of bare ground across herbivory, clipping frequency and growing period. When rainfall was low, seasonal exclosures showed lowest proportion of bare ground across herbivory and clipping frequency and plots that were seasonally clipped and excluded herbivores generated significantly more grass biomass, higher grass regrowth rates and lowest proportion of bare ground compared to all other treatments. Excluding herbivores had little impact on the vegetation biomass and cover but had a positive impact on grass regrowth rates when rainfall was high. Seasonal clipping allowed for lower proportion of bare ground, and in most cases higher regrowth rates and higher biomass compared to monthly clipping. We conclude that traditional seasonal migratory herding is a relevant concept to sustain rangeland productivity and resilience under increasing intensity of disturbance if grazing pressure on rainy season rangelands is adapted to rainfall conditions and sufficient resting time after heavy defoliation is granted. Dry season grazing (including rainy season resting) proved to be the most sustainable concept to maintain regrowth and control erosion.
What will the future bring? – Socio-economic challenges to herder households in the Great Gobi B strictly protected area in Mongolia
(2024) Michler, Lena M.; Kaczensky, Petra; Batsukh, Daginnas; Treydte, Anna C.
Nomadic pastoralism is still practiced by around one-third of the Mongolian population. Recent socio-economic constraints have challenged pastoral livelihoods and rising livestock numbers threaten overall rangeland health and biodiversity conservation. In the Mongolian Gobi, herder households fully depend on livestock production but little is known about their livelihood trends and potential compatibility with protected area goals. We combined interview data in the Great Gobi B strictly protected area (SPA) with secondary data on regional and national herder households to determine the importance of social networks, willingness to continue a herding lifestyle, and degree of involvement in protected area (PA) management. Our descriptive data confirm that herding is no longer centred on a subsistence lifestyle but rather around cashmere production. Contrary to sustainability goals, especially in protected areas, herder households continue to increase livestock numbers in response to high expenditures in the economic reality of a market economy. We conclude that herders in the Great Gobi B SPA are reaching neither socio-economically nor ecologically sustainable livestock numbers which challenge herders’ livelihoods and PA management alike. We recommend enhancing communication between the PA management and the herding community and increasing participatory conservation activities. National strategies are needed to resolve the current dilemma of increasing livestock numbers to meet livelihood demands and the growing threat to rangeland health.