THE LOGIC AND LOGISTICS OF GRAZING REGULATIONS A. TAL * Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Blaustein Institutes for Desert Studies, Ben Gurion University, Ben Gurion, Israel Received 17 September 2007; Revised 27 October 2008; Accepted 15 January 2009 ABSTRACT While overgrazing is widely recognized as one of the primary drivers of desertification, unlike other environmental problems, many countries have not taken basic measures to address it. After considering the sociological and biological dynamics associated with the phenomenon, the article reviews polices designed to reach sustainable levels of grazing that have been adopted in several countries. Establishing and implementing ‘stocking limits’ which ensure that land’s carrying capacity is not exceeded have proven to be highly effective. The article reviews how such limits are set and responds to critics of such policies, arguing that in countries with pastoral populations, command and control provisions to limit grazing should be a critical component of national efforts to protect the commons. Copyright # 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. key words: desertification; grazing; legislation; rangeland management; regulation; stock limits INTRODUCTION Rangelands cover almost half the Earth’s land surface, providing ecosystem services for over 600 million sheep and some 360 million cattle worldwide. For some 100 million herders, pastoral activities provide their sole source of sustenance (de Haan, 2005). Pastoral communities are particularly prevalent in Africa. For example they utilize 70 per cent of the lands in Kenya, 50 per cent in Tanzania and 40 per cent in Uganda (Fratkin, 2001). Overgrazing and poor land management have led to a erosion, especially in the drylands (Dregne, 2002) where the loss of land cover leads to a cascade of events linked to soil degradation and desertification (Evans, 1998). There are countries, such as Mongolia, which remain convinced that as they have sufficiently large rangelands and small populations, traditional uncontrolled grazing on the ‘commons’ can continue without dire ecological consequences (S. Begzsuren, Chairman, National Academy of Sciences, Mongolia, personal communication, 2007; Behnke, Scoones and Kerven, 1993). Yet, empirical review of the land conditions following the explosion in the number of grazing animals raises questions about the sustainability of such an open approach to land utilization (Usca, 2005). With global population levels continuing to rise (Cohen, 2005) and many developing countries facing acute desertification (Brown, 2006), examples of sustainable, low intensity stocking on public lands increasingly appear anomalous. The centrepiece of any successful land management strategy involves the concept of ‘carrying capacity’. For purposes of this article, ‘carrying capacity’ is defined as the number of animals a selected piece of land is able to sustain; alternatively; it is the ability to continually produce fodder to sustain grazing and browsing by livestock and wildlife. In areas suffering desertification due to intense grazing, monitoring land conditions and decreasing numbers of livestock through sale or slaughter on a continuous basis is required in order to maintain a sustainable carrying capacity. Alternatively, long-term estimates of carrying capacity can be made, and stock levels determined accordingly. land degradation & development Land Degrad. Develop. 20: 455–467 (2009) Published online 8 July 2009 in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com) DOI: 10.1002/ldr.937 *Correspondence to: A. Tal, Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Blaustein Institutes for Desert Studies, Ben Gurion University, Ben Gurion, Israel. E-mail: alontal@bgu.ac.il Copyright # 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.