Rangeland
Rangelands are grasslands, shrublands, woodlands, wetlands, and deserts that are grazed by domestic livestock or wild animals. Types of rangelands include tallgrass and shortgrass prairies, desert grasslands and shrublands, woodlands, savannas, chaparrals, steppes, open forest, and tundras. Rangelands do not include forests lacking grazable understory vegetation, barren desert, farmland, or land covered by solid rock, concrete, or glaciers.
Rangelands are distinguished from pasture lands because they grow primarily native vegetation rather than plants established by humans. Rangelands are also managed principally with practices such as managed livestock grazing and prescribed fire rather than more intensive agricultural practices of seeding, irrigation, and the use of fertilizers.
Grazing is an important use of rangelands but the term 'rangeland' is not synonymous with 'grazingland'. Livestock grazing can be used to manage rangelands by harvesting forage to produce livestock, changing plant composition, or reducing fuel loads.
Fire is also an essential regulator of range vegetation, whether set by humans or resulting from lightning. Fires tend to reduce the abundance of woody plants and promote herbaceous plants, including grasses, forbs, and grass-like plants. The suppression or reduction of periodic wildfires from desert shrublands, savannas, or woodlands frequently invites the dominance of trees and shrubs to the near exclusion of grasses and forbs.
Rangelands cover approximately 80 million square kilometers globally, with 9.5 million square kilometers protected and 67 million square kilometers used for livestock production. These areas sustain about 1 billion animals, managed by pastoralists across over 100 countries, illustrating their crucial role in both ecological conservation and agricultural productivity.
The United Nations has declared 2026 the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists, with the Food and Agriculture Organization leading the initiative.
Etymology and definition
The United States Environmental Protection Agency defines rangeland as "lands on which the native vegetation is predominantly grasses, grass-like plants, forbs, or shrubs suitable for grazing or browsing use." The EPA classifies natural grassland and savannas as rangeland, and in some cases includes wetlands, deserts, tundra, and "certain forb and shrub communities." The primary difference between rangeland and pasture is management; rangelands tend to have natural vegetation along with a few introduced plant species, but all managed by grazing, while pastures have forage that is adapted for livestock and managed, by seeding, mowing, fertilization and irrigation.Types of rangeland
According to the UNCCD, 35% of rangelands are deserts and xeric shrublands, 26% tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas and shrublands, 15% tundra, 13% temperate grasslands, savannahs and shrublands, 6% montane grasslands and shrublands, 4% mediterranean forests, woodlands and scrub, as well as 1% flooded grasslands and savannahs.Prairie
s are considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the dominant vegetation type. Temperate grassland regions include the Pampas of Argentina, and the steppes of Eurasia.Grasslands
are areas where the vegetation is dominated by grasses and other herbaceous plants. However, sedge and rush families can also be found. Grasslands occur naturally on all continents except Antarctica. In temperate latitudes, such as northwest Europe and the Great Plains and California in North America, native grasslands are dominated by perennial bunch grass species, whereas in warmer climates annual species form a greater component of the vegetation.Steppe
, in physical geography, refers to a biome region characterized by grassland plain without trees apart from those near rivers and lakes. The prairie is an example of a steppe, though it is not usually called such. It may be semi-desert, or covered with grass or shrubs or both, depending on the season and latitude. The term is also used to denote the climate encountered in regions too dry to support a forest, but not dry enough to be a desert.Pampas
are the fertile South American lowlands that include the Argentine provinces of Buenos Aires, La Pampa, Santa Fe, Entre Ríos and Córdoba, most of Uruguay, and the State of Rio Grande do Sul, in the southernmost end of Brazil covering more than. These vast plains are only interrupted by the low Ventana and Tandil hills near Bahía Blanca and Tandil, with a height of and respectively. The climate is mild, with precipitation of to, more or less evenly distributed through the year, making the soils appropriate for agriculture. This area is also one of the distinct physiography provinces of the larger Paraná-Paraguay Plain division. These plains contain unique wildlife because of the different terrains around it. Some of this wildlife includes the rhea, the badger, and the prairie chicken.Shrubland
is a plant community characterized by vegetation dominated by shrubs, often also including grasses, herbs, and geophytes. Shrubland may either occur naturally or be the result of human activity. It may be the mature vegetation type in a particular region and remain stable over time, or a transitional community that occurs temporarily as the result of a disturbance, such as fire. A stable state may be maintained by regular natural disturbance such as fire or browsing. Shrubland may be unsuitable for human habitation because of the danger of fire. The term "shrubland" was first coined in 1903.Woodland
is a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade. Woodlands may support an understory of shrubs and herbaceous plants including grasses. Woodland may form a transition to shrubland under drier conditions or during early stages of primary or secondary succession. Higher densities and areas of trees, with largely closed canopy, provide extensive and nearly continuous shade are referred to as forest.Savanna
is a grassland ecosystem characterized by the trees being sufficiently small or widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to support an unbroken herbaceous layer consisting primarily of C4 grasses.Desert
is a landscape or region that receives an extremely low amount of precipitation, defined as areas with an average annual precipitation of less than per year, or as areas where more water is lost by evapotranspiration than falls as precipitation. In the Köppen climate classification system, deserts are classed as BWh or BWk. In the Thornthwaite climate classification system, deserts would be classified as arid megathermal climates.Tundra
is a biome where the tree growth is hindered by low temperatures and short growing seasons. The term tundra comes through Russian тундра from the Kildin Sami word tūndâr "uplands," "treeless mountain tract." There are three types of tundra: Arctic tundra, alpine tundra, and Antarctic tundra In tundra, the vegetation is composed of dwarf shrubs, sedges and grasses, mosses, and lichens. Scattered trees grow in some tundra. The ecotone between the tundra and the forest is known as the tree line or timberline.Uses of rangeland
Rangelands produce a wide variety of goods and services desired by society, including livestock forage, wildlife habitat, water, mineral resources, wood products, wildland recreation, open space and natural beauty. The geographic extent and many important resources of rangelands make their proper use and management vitally important to people everywhere.Economic benefits
Rangelands are vital economic assets, contributing substantially to national economies, particularly through livestock production. For instance, in Ethiopia, rangelands account for 19% of the national GDP, while in Brazil, they contribute one-third of the agribusiness GDP through cattle farming. These vast areas not only support direct agricultural outputs but also bolster related industries, enhancing employment and promoting economic growth. Their management and sustainability are crucial for continuing these economic contributions and supporting the livelihoods dependent on them.Rangeland degradation challenges
The degradation of Earth's extensive rangelands due to overuse, inappropriate cultivation, misuse, climate change, and biodiversity loss represents a significant threat to humanity's food supply and the well-being or survival of billions of people.In 2024, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification reported that up to 50% of rangelands are degraded. These areas suffer from reduced soil fertility, woody encroachment and other invasive species, erosion, salinization, alkalinization, and soil compaction, which all inhibit plant growth and contribute to drought and fluctuations in precipitation. This degradation is primarily driven by the conversion of pastures to cropland, urban expansion, increasing demands for food, fiber, and fuel, excessive grazing, abandonment by pastoralists, and policies that incentivize overexploitation. The UNCCD observes that the loss of rangeland attracts little public attention and rarely features in international policy discussions.
Initiatives that promote afforestation in rangelands are criticised for being ineffective and misguided. Rangeland afforestation is partly based on the contested assumption that rangelands represent degraded forests, rather than natural biomes.