Effects of Overgrazing on Rangeland Resources in Semi-arid Areas and Rangel and Management: A review Article

Rangelands in arid and semi-arid providing cheap fodder for livestock, protect the land against soil erosion and desertification. It is characterized by fragile ecosystem with quick response to environmental variations and negative human activities. This review paper aimed to clarify the impacts of overgrazing on rangeland resources and how to reduce these effects to sustain the rangeland production system. Communal open grazing is the main system of grazing in the arid and semi-arid region that depends on free and unrestricted animal movement in entry and exit without being bound by the optimum grazing capacity and stocking rate. The arid and semi-arid rangelands are characterized by several characteristics that make them more vulnerable to grazing pressure. One of the most important characteristics of arid and semi-arid rangelands is seasonal forage production, most of the forage is produced in the short rainy season, which leads to a scarcity of the fodder supply for the grazing animals. The communal use of natural rangelands in the arid and semi-arid areas led to the "tragedy of the commons" dilemma. Overgrazing is considered one of the main factors affecting rangeland vegetation cover, leads to change in vegetation composition and decrease forage productivity.