The role of governance in sustainable rangeland management

The management and rehabilitation of degraded rangelands are inherently complex in south
Mediterranean where state and tribal owned pastures are grazed commonly by the agro-pastoralists. The
prospect for increased degradation primarily caused by overgrazing and recurrent droughts is currently at
alarming levels. Reversing the negative trends primarily requires insightful management practices,
institutional and policy support, and ultimately sound governance. Historically, the emphasis on rangeland
management and improvement has been placed on the agronomic and ecological techniques but the efforts
to restore the health and biodiversity of rangelands have achieved little impact. Low adoption of the
technical and agronomic packages indicates that the imperative role of the governance and well-established
sustainable communal land management cannot be ignored. Governance practices that are in conformity
with socio-organizational arrangements are essential for sustainable management in particular for common
rangeland grazing regimes. These practices should be set up in a participatory manner, involving the agro-
pastoralists and building social networking to achieve environmental, social and economic sustainability in
agropastoral production systems. This brief paper aims to highlight the role of governance of rangelands in
sustainable pastoralism in the south Mediterranean region.