Applicability of Montreal Process Criterion 2 — productive capacity — to rangeland sustainability

SUMMARY

Rangelands provide habitat for a wide array of plants and animals and forage for both domestic and wild herbivores. Estimating the cumulative area of rangeland in a country (Indicator 10) is complicated by how rangeland is defined and the scale at which range sites occur and are classified. Determining biomass production available for ping (Indicator 11) including plantations and seedings of native and exotic plants including cultivars (Indicator 12), and the amount of sustainable annual biomass removal (Indicator 13), and the removal of non-rangeland (∼ non-livestock) products (Indicator 14) is also difficult. Nevertheless, these indicators are just as applicable for monitoring sustainable management of rangelands as they are for forests. Productivity also varies with seral stage. Inclusion of multiple seral stages across the landscape generally increases the diversity of plant and animal species that occupy the landscape. Sometimes degraded landscapes require restorative practices; plant materials are available for rehabilitation plantings.

Key words:

• rangeland productivity
• sustainability
• seral stages
• rehabilitation
• restoration