In many parts of the world small holders involved in livestock farming, and not only pastoralists, are more and more vulnerable in regard of land tenure issues, mainstream economic standards, uncertainties due to climate change, international trade arrangements, etc. How can livestock husbandry help them to strengthen their household by holding tightly their production systems to territorial resources, biophysical as well as social and organizational ones?

Integrated global rangeland strategic research responses to environmental changes are critical to more effective social, economic, and ecologically sustainable management of rangeland resources.  During the workshop national rangeland policy and research leaders from around the global will develop a standardized process to identify current and emerging scientific rangeland research issues at multiple scales. The objectives of the workshop are to discuss national strategic plans during the morning session.  The afternoon will focus on opportunities for collaborative research efforts.  The afternoon session will have panel discussions on: Climate Change, Water, Air, Biofuels, Energy, Environmental Services.

Rangeland restoration has often taken a vegetation-centric view where the focus is on the planting and establishment of plants. Success or failure is declared based on the dominance of desirable plants during a prescribed period of time. Little consideration is given to other aspects of the ecosystem such as soil nutrient cycling or hydrologic function. The incorporation of ecosystem processes into restoration was the central theme of Steven Whisenant’s book “Repairing Damaged Wildlands: A Process-oriented, Landscape-scale Approach” published in 1999. This workshop will examine recent attempts to use this approach to understand and repair altered ecosystem processes. We will examine changes in soil physical, chemical, and biological properties that may affect nutrient cycling and influence restoration efforts.

Since ecosystem damage has impacts on ecosystem services for which people are the beneficiaries, and since there are generally costs associated with restoring these services, we will examine the socio-political and economic thresholds in relation to ecological thresholds and how these relationships often shape restoration decisions. Throughout the workshop, we will place examples into a landscape perspective. The workshop will have presentations from international experts and provide opportunities for participants to suggest and discuss areas that require additional emphasis in the future.

Ecological sites comprise a system to stratify the landscape into management units that differ in productive potential, response to disturbance, and restoration needs. Ecological sites connect scientific and local knowledge to the parts of the landscape where they apply. Ecological sites are thus of great value for management and restoration planning that takes into account spatial and temporal variability. In this workshop, presenters will introduce how ecological sites are used to improve farm and ranch operations and restoration activities.  Following the introduction, presenters will discuss the components of ecological site descriptions, including the data, local knowledge, interpretations, and the state-and-transition model pertaining to an ecological site. Procedures for the development of ecological site systems will be discussed, with attention to cases where detailed soil maps are unavailable. When mapped or identified in the field, ecological sites and alternative states provide practical advantages in the design of inventory, assessment, monitoring, and management efforts in rangelands.

Participants are encouraged to also register for the “Assessing Rangeland Conditions” workshop, which follows this workshop (3 April 1-430PM)

An international team of experts will review a variety of approaches that are used to define reference conditions for assessments, and methods for assessing the degree of departure or degradation. The workshop will include information on to use a variety of tools, including GIS, to integrate scientific and local knowledge to systematically and objectively define reference conditions.

Participants are encouraged to also register for the “Rangeland Management and Restoration Using Ecological Sites” workshop, which precedes this workshop (2 April AM – 3 April 1200)

Scientists from four geographic regions including Argentina (INTA); Australia (CSIRO); Inner Mongolia, China (IMAU) and the USA (USDA FS) have engaged in an effort to develop a First approximation Report (FAR) for the characterization of the world’s rangeland resources. The assessment is designed to provide a basis for stakeholder dialogue at the regional, national and global scales; expand understanding of the value of rangeland resources and the contribution to social, economic and ecological sustainability; and to provide valuable information to decision makers at every level.

The 2011 FAR advances a global characterization of rangelands based on cover and will be presented during a concurrent session at the IRC.  This pre-Congress workshop provides a first look at the FAR which utilized available data to characterize the extent, condition, uses and values of rangelands, and conveys a broad range of benefits derived from these landscapes. The objective of the workshop is to present the genesis and results of the FAR presented according to a set of indicators or broad themes.  In addition, an invitation will be extended to scientist and country representatives to participate in the next iteration of the Global Rangeland Resource Assessment.