Relevance of rest periods in non-equilibrium rangeland systems – a modelling analysis

The worldwide loss of utilisable rangeland in (semi-) arid areas results in huge economic and social costs. Only adaptive management strategies are able to cope with these systems, which are mainly driven by unpredictable and stochastic rainfall. The aim of the study was to investigate the relevance of rest periods as part of the management scheme in these nonequilibrium rangeland systems. The starting point of the analysis is an approved management system – the Karakul sheep-breeding Gamis-Farm (Namibia). The farmer applies a flexible strategy, which combines short-term adaptation of the stocking rate to the available forage and long-term adaptation by resting a third of the paddocks in years with sufficient rainfall. We developed a simulation model that focuses on the key dynamics of this non-equilibrium system.