Transitions in rangeland evaluations: A review of the major transitions in rangeland evaluations during the last 25 years and speculation about future evaluations

Abstract

In recent times, we continue efforts to determine the status of rangelands and evaluate any changes in a plant community relative to a standard. However, the traditional approaches no longer meet the needs of rangeland managers. New tools are being developed to address three issues: (1) increased demand for indicators that reflect ecosystem function and that are relevant to multiple uses and values in upland systems, (2) increased importance of wetland, riparian and aquatic communities as integral parts of rangeland ecosystems, and (3) the need for quantitative, consistent national and regional evaluations that effectively address both of the first two issues. In addition, we are increasing our understanding of the importance of spatial relationships among different land units in both upland and riparian ecosystems. We now recognize the need for evaluations that look beyond local management units and single dominant uses, like livestock grazing. We think now about watersheds, basins, and regions, as well as fish and wildlife populations that co-occur with livestock on our rangelands. New technologies in remote sensing allow us to view land changes over much larger areas than in the past. Our increased understanding of the importance of linkages among the living components (all of the interacting organisms) and non-living components (e.g., soils, air, and water) of rangelands and processes occurring within rangelands (e.g., nutrient and water cycling as well as energy flow) has led to the development of new approaches for evaluating rangelands. We even occasionally try to include social, economic, and legal aspects of rangelands in evaluations. This article is an opportunity to review the major transitions in rangeland evaluations during the last 25 years and realize how much change has occurred in our approaches. It also provides an opportunity to speculate about the future evaluations.