Discuss about concepts of Range science and its application in range management.

 

Range science is the body of scientific knowledge upon which range management should be based. Rangelands are ecosystems where agriculture and conservation meet. Rangelands cover more than half of the Earth’s land area and include prairie, grassland, savanna, shrubland and chaparral, alpine meadows, wetlands and deserts. Rangelands are dynamic ecosystems, teeming with biodiversity and driven by patterns of climate, soil, and water, and have been used by humans for thousands of years.

Range land management (also range management, range science, or arid-land management) is a professional natural science that centers around the study of rangelands and the "conservation and sustainable management [of Arid-Lands] for the benefit of current societies and future generations." Range management is defined by Holechek et al. as the "manipulation of rangeland components to obtain optimum combination of goods and services for society on a sustained basis.

 

As range scientists, we seek to understand rangeland ecosystem patterns and processes to ensure sustainable management. Range science provides students with knowledge and experience to assess, monitor and manage rangeland resources. Using an ecosystem perspective, students study the inter-relationships between a variety of plant, soil, animal and social sciences. Range management is a professional field whose aim is to ensure a sustained yield of rangeland products while protecting and improving the basic range resources of soil, water, and plant and animal life.

 

Application of Range Science in Range Management

1.     The role of contemporary range science is to develop an understanding of the processes that are important for the wise management of rangelands. Range science and range management are complementary but distinct endeavors. range management is a planning process in which alternative management options are exposed to the decision-maker’s values, and the option with the highest value is selected.

2.     Range science is the body of scientific knowledge upon which range management should be based. As such, range science should be the set of concepts and ideas that agree or are consistent with how natural processes operate. Both are necessary for wise use of range resources.

3.     Range science is an integrative discipline. As such, range scientists are in an ideal position to organize multidisciplinary research. Indeed, the processes important to range scientists and managers can only be studied by drawing upon expertise from many disciplines.

4.     Scientists from other disciplines are interested in pursuing questions that interest range scientists, and range scientists should serve as a focal point for this kind of research on how range can be managed.

5.     Traditionally, range science has described components of range ecosystems in an attempt to provide information for managers. This has been an extremely important first step in the development of range science, and most management recommendations are currently based on information generated by such efforts.

6.     Range Science is more concerned with how things are arranged and how they function. Finally, scientists endeavor to explain why natural processes function as they do. It is time for range science to make the transition from the what to the how and why stages of development.

7.     The role of the manager (planner) from that of the researcher (scientist) is difficult, because researchers are often more intent on solving problems and providing management recommendations than on providing fundamental understanding of process important in range management.

8.     Modern range management utilizes the concept of multiple use, which requires that all the resources of a rangeland be managed simultaneously, using constant monitoring and adjustments to provide a mix of material products and intangible assets that best satisfy the needs of both landowners and the general public. Range management depends for its effectiveness on range science, which is a body of knowledge drawn from the botanical and zoological sciences as well as from ecology, climatology, pedology (soil science), hydrology, and so on.