Rangeland biodiversity: status, challenges and opportunities review

Abstract

Rangeland biodiversity is a multidimensional spectacle that includes the diversity of organisms, genetic differences among them and the communities, ecosystems, and landscape patterns. The variety of biodiversity life and processes is essential for moral, aesthetic and economic reasons. This review aimed to combine the earlier works on rangeland biodiversity: status, challenges and opportunities. Despite being less suited for crop cultivation, rangelands with low and variable precipitation, rocky topography, poor drainage, or harsh temperatures offer feed and water for free-ranging wild and domestic animals, as well as timber and mineral resources. Rangelands often have shallow soils, little rainfall, and slowly cycling nutrients. Habitat destruction and fragmentation, alien invasive species invasion, climate change, the incidence of accidental fire, prolonged drought, overgrazing, poor coordination among various disciplines and implementation schemes are the current critical challenges of rangeland biodiversity. Community-based management systems and participatory approaches, managing invasive species and rangeland rehabilitation, sustainable and integrated rangeland management practices, building resilience for rangeland resource dynamics, the presence of indigenous knowledge and donor support are the main opportunities for the improvement of rangeland biodiversity. Therefore, it was concluded that the current rangeland biodiversity was drastically shrinking and degrading. This suggests an urgent need for rangeland management strategies that promote biodiversity conservation.