This participatory grassland and rangeland assessment (PRAGA) methodology was developed for the assessment of rangelands and grasslands in selected project countries. It was developed through the project 'Participatory assessment of land degradation and sustainable land management in grassland and pastoral systems', financed by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and executed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The methodology was piloted in five countries – Burkina Faso, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Niger and Uruguay – to test its effectiveness and value. Necessary revisions were made to the methodology, based on lessons learned from its application. This report documents the good practices of rangeland management as a way to inform decisions on rangeland management; and raise awareness about the importance of locally identified management practices. It highlights the fact that these rangeland management practices do not necessarily align with practices as defined by scientists/ecologists. The target audience of this working paper includes decision-makers, land managers, other land users, and scientists.

This book compiles a set of 26 papers that present the direct, practical experiences and results of a large number of local practitioners and experts that supported the Transboundary agro-ecosystem management project of the Kagera river basin (Kagera TAMP) during the period 2010-2015. The book has been compiled by the Land and Water Division of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to reflect the wide range of experiences, approaches and tools that were used for promoting participatory diagnostics, adaptive management and adoption of sustainable land and agro-ecosystem management (SLaM) practices from farm to watershed / landscape scale. The project was supported by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the Governments of the four countries that share the transboundary basin - Burundi, Rwanda, the United Republic of Tanzania and Uganda and project partners. It is hoped that the lessons learned are considered and taken up by the Governments and the TerrAfrica partnership for scaling up and mainstreaming SLaM as part of the wider set of lessons learned from the 36 projects in 26 countries under the Terrafrica Strategic Investment programme, including Kagera TAMP.

This participatory grassland and rangeland assessment (PRAGA) methodology was developed for the assessment of rangelands and grasslands in selected project countries. It was developed through the project “Participatory assessment of land degradation and sustainable land management in grassland and pastoral systems”, financed by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and executed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The methodology was piloted in five countries – Burkina Faso, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Niger and Uruguay – to test its effectiveness and value. Necessary revisions were made to the methodology, based on lessons learned from its application. This document contains background information on global grasslands and rangelands and describes the need and the guiding principle for rangeland health assessments and practical guidance on how to conduct cost-effective assessment. It is divided into two parts: Part I: Background information on grasslands and rangelands Part II: Guidance for the preparation, assessment and monitoring of grasslands and rangelands at the local level The methodology has been designed with enough flexibility to adapted to specific contexts and countries along the nine steps laid out in the document.

As rangelands support one-seventh of the world’s population and occupy one-third of its land area, there is increasing focus on their economic, environmental and nutritional roles together with a growing understanding of their potential in climatic regulatory systems and biodiversity conservation. However, rangelands and grasslands are complex, dynamic systems, which make assessment and management difficult given the many interacting biophysical elements, drivers and objectives of those that use them. Facilitating and developing tools to monitor rangeland and grassland complexity and clearly demonstrate how management influences ecosystem processes is an important component of improving rangeland management practices, r egulatory systems and economic development. The project “Participatory assessment of land degradation and sustainable land management in grassland and pastoral systems”, funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), was developed with the primary objective of strengthening the capacity of local and national stakeholders in pastoral and agropastoral areas comprising of grasslands and rangelands to assess land degradation (LD) and make informed decisions to promote sustainable land management (SLM) in a way that preserves the diverse ecosystem goods and services provided by rangelands and grasslands . This report represents a synthesis of activities in development and testing of the participatory rangeland and grassland (PRAGA) methodology in Kyrgyzstan, including a national and regional baseline review, large-scale assessment & remote sensing, participatory mapping and indicator selection, field assessment results and validation workshops held to verify data and resulting conclusions that feed into next steps and technical and policy recommendations.

This report highlightes outcomes and recommendations provided during the FAO regional expert workshop “Enhancing national climate actions to reduce methane emissions in livestock systems in Asia and the Pacific”. The regional workshop was designed to help countries in Asia and the Pacific identify new opportunities to reduce methane emissions from livestock systems in the region. The report illustrates best practices, solutions and ideas shared by countries and livestock stakeholders in Asia and the Pacific to achieve ambitious climate targets.

Designed to help students understand the multiple levels at which human populations respond to their surroundings, this essential text offers the most complete discussion of environmental, physiological, behavioral, and cultural adaptive strategies available. Among the unique features that make Human Adaptability outstanding as both a textbook for students and a reference book for professionals are a complete discussion of the development of ecological anthropology and relevant research methods; the use of an ecosystem approach with emphasis on arctic, high altitude, arid land, grassland, tropical rain forest, and urban environments; an extensive and updated bibliography on ecological anthropology; and a comprehensive glossary of technical terms. - There is enhanced emphasis throughout on the role of gender in human adaptability research and on global environmental change as it affects particular ecosystems. - Students are guided to websites that provide access to relevant material, complement the text's coverage of biomes, and suggest ways to become active in environmental issues. - The fourth edition includes updated material on climate change and environmental policy. This book is essential reading for students undertaking courses in environmental anthropology and human ecology.

Towards Sustainable Use of Rangelands in China’s North West is based on the program of the International Conference Implementing GEF Objectives in a Systems Framework held in Lanzhou, Gansu, China in October 2008. This collection reviews the extent of resource debasement in China’s pastoral zones and offers solutions for their sustainable use. The five parts deal with ran- lands, and the people who manage them, and assess prospects for implementation of more sustainable rangeland/livestock production systems. Topics include Livestock husbandry development and agro-pastoral integration in Gansu and Xinjiang; Ecological restoration and control of rangeland degradation. Despite widespread degradation, the articles reveal the approaches that are likely to lead to recovery of these rangelands and better livelihoods for the local herders and farmers. Two chapters are devoted to the achievement of global environmental objectives. Carbon sequestration and biodiversity conservation in mountain grasslands are just a few of the covered subjects. This portion of the book pays special attention to the successful results in Gansu and Xinjiang – major regions of China’s pastoral lands. The final division addresses measures to improve the profitability and susta- ability of herding and farming in the pastoral areas of north-west China There are fifteen chapters on subjects that include: Livestock management, Rangeland management interventions, Agro-pastoral integration, Improved animal husbandry practices as a basis for profitability. Land tenure and access, Environmental education, Ecological Restoration and New Management approaches for China’s northwest pastoral areas.