Changes in Rangeland Condition and Health of Palandoken Mountain Rangelands Over two Decades

Authors : Ali KOÇ, Ahmet GÖKKUŞ, Mehmet Kerim GÜLLAP, Halil İbrahim ERKOVAN, Mustafa SÜRMEN

Pages : 37-43

Doi:10.51801/turkjrfs.987396

View : 17 | Download : 14

Publication Date : 2021-12-17

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :Rangeland plant communities respond to environmental changes depending on management practices, climate, topography, and time. The objective of the study was to determine the changes in abundancy of functional plant groups, range condition score, class, and health with different topographical characteristics between 1993 and 2013. Trends in the investigated characteristics changed depending on aspect and topography. While the abundancy of decreaser and increaser plants decreased, invader plant abundancy increased over two decades. Similarly, range condition score, class, and health also declined in this period. The changes in investigated properties showed uneven distribution among the sites due to uncontrolled grazing practices and site characteristics. The results indicated that range degradation has been continued under current grazing practices. Therefore sustainable range management strategies should be put urgently into practice for the conservation of natural resources in the highland hilly rangelands of Turkey.
Keywords : Highland rangelands, topography, plant functional groups, range condition and health