Procedure_Part 3_Rangeland Community Survey

The community rangeland management survey adds another aspect to the characterization of the rangeland Badhia. The questionnaire includes quantitative as well as qualitative data. Most of the information gathered is an attempt to assess the impact of the ban on cultivation and what are the management options to improve the Badhia rangelands as suggested by the local communities. The main objectives for conducting the community rangeland management survey is to get a better understanding of the importance of rangeland resources in terms of surface area and uses. The survey involved discussions with local leaders and site visits to ascertain the location, main vegetation type "grazing area name", rangeland types, improvement, and uses of rangelands. Information on the rangeland management options as depicted by the local population was also collected. We should note here that land below 200 mm precipitation in the Badia was banned from cultivation in 1995, 10 years before our survey. This legal ban on cultivation have restricted the space for the bedouin communities to manage rangelands in ways compatible with their own objectives. In some areas, rapid increases in the numbers of livestock have led to localized overgrazing and the spread of invasive and palatable species.