Ecology, Management, and Efficiency of Pastures: Compendium of Study Materials from the International Courses, Volume I.

This document compiles 1984 UNEP–USSR training materials on the ecology, management, and efficiency of arid rangelands, organizing lectures into global study aspects, arid pasture ecosystems, agrometeorological support, and management and use, with case work from Central Asia. It frames the need for action by noting that arid and semi-arid lands cover about 35% of Earth’s land, deserts span 31.4 million km², and droughts such as the Sahel crisis expose pastoral vulnerability. It situates the program within UN environmental and anti-desertification initiatives (UNEP 1972; UNGA Resolution 3337 in 1974; Nairobi Plan, 1977) and details methods: primary productivity measurement, meteorological evaluation, mapping and remote sensing, degradation indicators, rotational grazing, monitoring, land-use planning, and pasture improvement including irrigation and phyto-amelioration.