Ca. Busso, TOWARDS AN INCREASED AND SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION IN SEMIARID RANGELANDS OF CENTRAL ARGENTINA - 2 DECADES OF RESEARCH, Journal of arid environments, 36(2), 1997, pp. 197-210
The Caldenal or Southern Espinal is a temperate, semi-arid region cove
ring about 40,000 km(2) in central Argentina. Cattle raising on natura
l vegetation is the major economic activity in this region. Mostly bec
ause of overgrazing after the introduction of domestic livestock in th
e early 1900s and fire prevention by ranchers, the physiognomy of the
vegetation has changed from a grassland with isolated shrubs and trees
to a shrubland, with visible signs of soil erosion in the system. Thi
s paper presents an up-to-date synthesis of major findings obtained in
the Caldenal during the last 20 years, as well as ongoing research, t
owards a common objective: to develop management guidelines conducive
to a greater, sustainable rangeland productivity while preserving the
renewable natural resources in the region. Research has mainly been co
nducted to study the effects of the major stresses at the Caldenal (fi
re, drought, defoliation) on grass and/or shrub responses, as well as
more basic studies on the ecophysiology of these species. (C) 1997 Aca
demic Press Limited.