Rangeland

**1. Types of Rangeland:**
– Rangelands encompass grasslands, shrublands, woodlands, wetlands, and deserts.
– Specific types include tallgrass and shortgrass prairies, desert grasslands, woodlands, savannas, chaparrals, steppes, and tundras.
– Rangelands exclude forests lacking grazable vegetation, barren deserts, farmland, or land covered by solid rock.
– Managed with practices like grazing and prescribed fire to maintain native vegetation and reduce fuel loads.

**2. Prairie and Grasslands:**
– Prairies are part of the temperate grasslands biome with moderate rainfall and grasses, herbs, and shrubs as dominant vegetation.
– Grasslands are dominated by grasses and herbaceous plants, occurring naturally on all continents except Antarctica.
– Native grasslands feature perennial bunch grass species in temperate latitudes and annual species in warmer climates.

**3. Steppe and Shrubland:**
– Steppe is a grassland plain without trees, semi-desert or covered with grass or shrubs, crucial for biodiversity.
– Shrublands are plant communities dominated by shrubs, grasses, herbs, and geophytes, stable or transitional due to disturbances like fire.

**4. Rangeland in Different Regions:**
– In Canada, rangeland is prominent, with varying range use policies, public tenures on crown land, and a balance between economic needs and environmental conservation.
– The United States has 36% rangeland, managed by the Bureau of Land Management, with conflicts between open-range laws and urban development.
– Australia’s rangelands cover 80% of the country, supporting extensive livestock production and mining while Indigenous land tenures cover 59%.
– South America’s rangelands cover 33% of the land area, with diverse types like grasslands and shrublands, excluding hyperarid deserts.

**5. Rangeland in Africa and Asia:**
– Kenya’s rangelands cover 85% of the country, inhabited by nomadic pastoralists with dependencies on livestock for livelihood.
– Asia’s rangelands support a pastoral economy in western China but are shrinking due to various factors like population growth and economic influences.