Management of Semi-arid Ecosystems, Volume 7Brian Harrison Walker Extensive regions of the world have a climate which, whilst permitting development of a continuous vegetative cover, is too dry for successful annual cropping. These are the semi-arid areas where land use is based on the natural vegetation. Easily degraded and difficult to maintain, they are under increasing pressure as expanding human populations move in and endeavour to force a living from them. As a result they contain some of the worst examples of resource degradation. This book examines the problems and opportunities involved in man's use of semi-arid areas. The authors are all actively involved in research and land management in the areas discussed. Each chapter begins with a detailed, up-to-date account of the ecology of the region (its climate, soils, vegetation, fauna and main ecological characteristics). This is followed by a history of land use, problems involved in its management, a review of current research and recommended land use practices. The common features of semi-arid ecosystems are brought together in a final section. |
Contents
Introduction by B H Walker | 7 |
Management of the semiarid and arid rangelands of Australia by A D | 83 |
Management of semiarid ecosystems in Israel by I NoyMeir and N | 113 |
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Acacia Africa Agric agriculture Andhra Pradesh animals areas arid lands Arid Zone Aristida Arizona Australia Baggara Basin Bedouin biomass breeding Calcisols carrying capacity cattle Central cerrado chenopod climate common crops cultivation density desert dominant drought dry season East ecological ecosystems effects Eragrostis erosion favourable feeding fertilizer Flourensia forage forest game ranching grain grass grasslands grazing systems growth ha¹ habitat herbaceous Herbel herbivores herd improvement increased India irrigation km² land-use livestock mainly major mean annual Mexico Negev nitrogen nomadic northern occur over-grazing paddocks pasture perennial period Plains plants Plateau population Pradesh production Prosopis rainfall Rajasthan rangeland Rhodesia rotational grazing sand savanna Schmidtia seed semi-arid semi-arid regions semi-arid savanna semi-arid zone semi-desert sheep and goats shrublands shrubs soils southern species stocking rate Sudan temperature termites Themeda triandra tion trees and shrubs vegetation types wadis western Western Australia wheat winter woodland woody yields