Rangelands 3(2), April1981 51

Rangeland Management in Saudi Arabia

Atalla A. Abo-Hassan

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia occupies approximately Since the rainfall over most of Saudi Arabia is not enough nine-tenths of the Arabian peninsula,one of the driest areas to support much vegetation, not many trees grow and most in the world. It lies between the Red Sea and the Gulf of of the country is considered as desert.With the exception of Aquba to the west, and the Arabian Gulf to the east. It has the southwest highlands, the vegetation is similar to that of common boundaries with Jordan, Iraq, and Kuwait on the the north African-Indian desert region. Most ofthe plants are north and Yemen to the south. Saudi Arabia has a land area herbs or shrubs. These plants have adaptedto the rigorous of 2,250,000 square kilometers, of which less than 0.2 per- desert climate. There are few species. The eastern part of cent is presently under cultivation. The cultivated land is Saudi Arabia, for instance,has probably not more than 370 estimated at 525,000hectares. Three to four times as much native species. The small number of desert species reflects land is arable but not yet put to use. The salient feature of the difficulties faced by plants in adapting to such a harsh Saudi agriculture lies in the scarcity of water, with rainfall environment. Most of the plant species in Saudi Arabia have averaging about 100 (4 inches) mm per year in most regions migrated from adjacent countries. except the southwest, which averages250 mm or more. In the eastern region ofSaudi Arabia, the following plants The geology of Saudi Arabia has a basecomplex of mostly are found in coastal grasslands areas: Panicum turgidum, Cambrian rocks, pre-Cambrian rocks, granite, schists,dior- Juncus maritimus, Aelorpus lagopoides,Cynodon dactylon, ites, gneiss,and gabbro. Prior tothe riftthat was responsible and Arabasis setitera. In the salty areas, one can find Ha/ox- for the Red Sea, the Arabian Peninsulawasa continuation of ylon sa/icornicum, Suadeda beccata, Zygophyllum cacci- the east African continental block. After separation from neum and Atriplex spp. In the oases of the eastern district, Africa during the Tertiary Period, the Arabian Peninsula perennials which are spreading include Aristida plumosa, assumedthe land form of agiant plateau liftedeastward from Artemisia herba a/ba, Ziziphus spina chriti, Rhanterium the Red Seatoward theArabian Gulf.Exposed in the western eppaposum,Calligonumum comosum, He/ian themum lip pu, highlands and mountains, the base complex rangesin eleva- and Lycium persicum. Annualsare representedby Plantago tion from 600 meters to 3,760 meters. albicans, Neuradaprocumbers, Modicagoashersoniana and East and north of the Arabian shield, the remaining two- Stipa tortilis. thirds of the country comprises sedimentary formations. In the northern part of the kingdom, one can find the These are mostly sandstone, limestone,shale, marl and allu- following: Poa sinaica, Ache//ia fragrantissima, Anabasis vium comprising the ground water reservoirs or purifiers of articu/ata,A triplex leococ/ada, Sa/sola /ancifolia,and Ha/ox- the peninsula. ylon articu/atum. In the central region of Najd plateau, the Saudi Arabia is situated in avast desert beltencompassing following shrubs cover wide areas: Gymnacarpusdecan- much of North Africa and extending eastward intoAsia. This drum, He/ianthemum lippii and He/ianthemum kahiricum. desert belt is exposed seasonally to the northwest trade Along with Stipa tortilis, the annual grass which grows winds. The northern two-thirds receivessporadic winterand underneath the shrubs in the oasis wherewater is available, spring rains associated with the barometric lows moving one can find Aristida spp.,Artemisia spp., Lycium persicum, from the eastern Mediterranean toward the Arabian Gulf. Panicum targidum lasiurushirsutus,Cenchrus c/hans, Astra- The intense heat of the summer months is the best known gallus spp., P/antago spp., Tnigone/la spp., Acacia spp., feature of the Arabian climate. Temperatures frequently Tamanix spp., and Ziziphus spp. 0 exceed C (120° F) over much of the peninsula.The south The southwestern highlands of Saudi Arabia are classed west being in thehigh mountainsis the only partwith prevail- as part of the East African Highlands floristic region. True ingly pleasantsummer temperature, (20° C (68° F) to30° C). forests ofJuniper (Juniperus procera), wild olive(Obea chry- They havethe highest rainfall with about 500-600mma year. sophy/la) and Acacia assac cover the higher slopes in the Sub-freezing temperatures in the morning have been south. Recently forestry work was undertakenby the Minis- recorded occasionally during the winter months in the try of Agriculture to protect and develop these important southwest. Snow is very rare. However, in April 1971,a freak resources. Slopes of the western coast are covered with sleet storm (recorded as snow) left an accumulation of 1.5 Acacia species, Panicum turgidum, Lasiurus hirautus and meters immediately to the west of Abha in the high south- Aiber spp. In salty places,species from Chenopodiaceaand western mountains. Frost usually occurs during winter in the Zygophy/lacea are widespread underneath the Avicennia north and central regions. marina shrubs. Many poisonous plants are spread over the range area. These include Ca/atropis procera, Chrozophora The author is Head, Plant ProductionDepartment, College of Agriculture, Datura Delonix Universityof Riyadh, Riyadh,Saudi Arabia. Oblong/flora, stramonium, elata, Euphorbia cornta, Euphorbia kahirensis, Razyastnicta, Paganum har- 52 Rangelands 3(2), April1981

ma/a, Pergularia tomentosa, Tribulus terrestriaand Withania cent of preferablespecies; 25 percent in medium condition, somnifera. containing 25 to 50 percent of preferred species, and 60 The agriculture and grasslandsin Saudi Arabia are con- percent in the poorest condition with zero to 24 percent of centrated in few areas with adequate water supplies in the preferred species. oases. In addition, the relatively high rainfall region is the The study also pointed out three main reasons for the southwest. Therefore, most of the grasslands and animals deterioration of grasslands: are concentrated in the southwest. Range areas in Saudi 1. Consecutiveyears of drought. Arabia contain about 140 million hectares and represent 2. Arbitrary use of pastures. about 56% ofthe utilized land of Saudi Arabia.Animal raising 3. Cutting the shrubs and using them for fuel. is considered secondary only to oil in theeconomy of Saudi Becauseof this the government issued a law prohibiting the Arabia. Estimated livestock in Saudi Arabia in 1975 were cutting of any kind of shrubs for fuel. 104,922 camels, 281,753 cattle, 2,147,850 sheep, and A researchstation has been establishedin the southwest- 1,242,216 goats. ern part of Saudi Arabia. In Saudi Arabia, sheepand goats are the primary milk and In addition, the British scientists tried to introduce several meat producers of the desert wherever water and pasture foreign grasses to the area, such as Panicum antidotale, requirementscan be met. Both wool and goats hairare used Paspa/um dilitatum, and Bermuda grass (Cynodon in weaving the tents of the Bedouins, because camel hair is dactylon). not strong enough for this purpose. Also, the Arabiancamel, There is also an effortto increasethe prairies by distribut- which is a recognized symbol of Arabian desert life, still ing the watering places for animals over a large area. The plays an important role in the Bedouin economy, even scientists also studied the palatability rates of different though it has been supplanted by the trucksas a carrier of plants for use by livestock. Some experiments were also commercial goods. Also some cattle, most of them of Indian done by artificially cutting the grassesto heights of5 cm, 15 strains, are kept in settled areas. The Arabian horses are cm, and 35 cm, on different species. famous for their beauty and endurance, but there are not Since research in rangemanagement must go in hand with many horses in Arabia today. However, some breeds are natural ecology and the annual rainfall, the experiments do reserved by the Ministry of Agriculture and by a number of take a long time toobtain satisfactory results applicableto a private horse fanciers. large area. Although theexperiments in Saudi Arabia haven't In the past, although the Arab people who used these been completed yet, they have shown that some introduced animals knew nothing about modern education, they used grasses can be used. Experiments have also noticed a an ideal system of range management,especially in manag- decreasein the desirablegrasses and an increasein undesir- ing sheep.These peopledividedtheirgrasslands into several able plant cover by more than 60 percent. small areas. They allowed their animals to graze one area Another plan for managing the grasslands is by training then moved to another until the grass grew well again in the and settling the Bedouins. Because the central partof Saudi first. Then they used the first area again. In this respect,they Arabia receivesthe least amount of rainfall, the Ministry of protected their pasturesfrom overgrazing.This system was Agriculture has madea contract with an Americancompany called 'rotating grazing or Ahmieh." By experience, they called FMC and a German company called Wakota to settle learned to keep a balance between their animals and the 1,000 families in an arable areaof about 4,000hectares. This plants grown in the grasslands.This kept theirgrasslands in area has a surplus of underground water.As a starting point, good condition until the drought which passedthrough the in a long programto settle theBedouins and encouragethem country 20 years ago and destroyed many of the natural to stay in aspecific place insteadof moving constantly, they pastures.On the otherhand, the Bedouins' camelsgraze on offered them housesand permanentand supplementaryfor- the desert shrubs instead of regular pasture land. Camelsdo age and training them to the best way of managingthe range not require any water for many weekswhile grazing in living resources. grass and bushes.The desert contains afew watering places For Saudi Arabia, there are some important practices but affords good grazing for camels,sheep, and goats during which if applied correctly will help in keepingthe grasslands the winter. productive and increase animal productivity to supply the As a result ofthedrought and grazing pressure,the natural people's need for meat. These include: grasslands have been destroyed by over-grazing, and the 1. Obtain the servicesof a specialist in range management. soil has been eroded. Everyone is trying to sell sheep 2. Teach the people, especially those who use rangelands, because there is no food for them, resulting in a flood of how they can preserve their rangelands,and how they animals on the market with low prices. The Ministry ofAgri- should use them. culture is attempting to find a solution for this problem; 3. Keep a balance between animals and forage. It is otherwise in a short time, the country will need to import desirable to leave 10 to 13 cm of grass on the ground meat from other countries. when the animals grazeover the area. Because there are no national specialists in range man- 4. Alterative uses of year-round grasslands and seasonal agement, the Ministry of Agriculture made a contract with grasslands. experts in range managementfrom Britain to study thesitua- 5. Use of annual plants during rainfall periods to give the tion and to propose solutions to the problem. They studied perennial plants a good chance to grow better. the types of grassesand shrubs growing in the grasslands 6. Not to use grasslandsduring drought years. and tried to find the best managementfor the pastures.They 7. Reservation of a large area from use except during found that the grasslands area was estimated to be drought years. 140,000,000 hectares,of which, 5 percent in excellentcondi- 8. Build damsto conservethe water which comes trom the tion, with 75 to 100 percent of preferablespecies forall kinds mountains. of animals; 10 percent in good condition with 50 to 75 per- 9. Provide hay during drought years. Hangelands 3(2), Apr!! 1981 53 10. Eradication of poisonous plants and controlling other Organizations should be created with specialists in range undesirable woody plants. managementto show the people how important it is to keep 11. Prohibitation of cutting trees and shrubsand encourage their grasslands productive and how they should use their people to use natural gas for fuel. grasslands. Also, there should be more effortto drill more 12. Drill more wells to provide water for the animals on a wells and distribute more water over larger areas. year-round basis. Perhaps there should also bea programto use desalinated sea water to irrigate and cultivate large areas. Although the Summary Ministry of Agriculture and Water has started building three desalination stationsfor this the should be The problems in improving range managementin Saudi purpose, program Arabia can be summarizedas follows: expanded. 1. The low rainfall of about 100 mm per year is not enoughto Bibliography in the oases and the grow many plants, except high Agricultural Guide. 1971. Ministry of Agriculture, p. 50 mountains in the west and the southwestwhere the average Asmar, Samlr, 1972. Agricultural Training in Saudi Arabia-1968- rainfall is more than 400 mm. Most of the grassland is found 1972, Ministry of Agriculture and Water. in the higher rainfall area. ARAMCO Handbook, 1968. Oil and the Middle East, Arabian 2. There is no to conservethe and to American Oil Company, Dhahran,Saudi Arabia. organization grasslands Hajara, Hassan, 1969. The Pastures in Saudi Arabia. direct the people on how to use their grasslands, and keep a Khallfa, Hoani, 1966. Emergant Nations (the Magazineof Rising balance between the animals and the available forage. Peoples),2:2, 50-52. 3. There is no law controlling hunting. As a result, many Paseur,James E. 1970. Soil and Land Classificationin SaudiArabia, game species are or are almost extinct. Ministry of Agriculture. Statistics Division,Dept. of Res. & ofSaudi These are the most factors which have caused Development, Klngdon important Arabia. 1975. The Green Desert. Ministry of Agriculture. the severe range management problems in Saudi Arabia. USDA ManagementNotes. 1969. No. 27. Some Characteristics of Iranian Rangelands

A. Koocheki

Iran covers approximately 1,650,000 square kilometers, tains and salt flats characterize the area. making it almost 7 times larger than the state of Idaho. The The Khuzistan province includes part of the Mesopotam- country lies between 25° and 39° 45' north latitude, and 44° ian plain and lowlands of both the Persian and Oman gulfs. and 63° east longitude. Iran is bounded on the north by the Soviet Union and the Caspian Sea, on the east byAfghan is- Climate tan and Pakistan,to the south by the PersianGulf and Oman Five main climatic zones are recognized for Iran: Gulf, and to the west by Iraq and Turkey. A-Caspianzone: This arealying betweenthe CaspianSea There are four primary physiographic provinces distin- and the Alborz mountains is the only part of Iran which guished in Iran: the Alborz and Zagros mountain ranges, the clearly receivesmore than 500 mm of precipitation annually. Caspian sea coast, the southern coastal plain and the Khuz- To date, no meaningful drought has been reported in this istan, and the central plain. zone. The mean July temperature is 26° C and meanJanuary The Alborz and Zagros mountains form the two major temperature is 8°C. mountain systems of Iran. These two ranges meet in the Three principal vegetation belts are found in the Caspian northwest corner ofthe country nearTurkey, Russia(Cauca- zone, each a forest type to geologic, precipitation, soil type, sus), and Iraq. and elevational differences and interactions. The lower The Caspian Sea coast province includes the most pro- forest belt occurs at elevationsfrom below sea level to 700 ductive lands found in Iran, but it covers only a relatively meters. Annual grassessuch as Oplismenus undulatifolius small area. Many crops, such as alfalfa, requiring neutral to and Setaria spp. are abundant. Perennial grasses include basic soils are difficult to grow in this region becauseof soil Festuca ovina, Phleum boemeri, Dactylis glomerata, and acidity which generally increases from east to west. How- Phalaris spp. A few legumesof the Trifo!ium and Onobrychis ever, forage crops such as Bermuda grass, timothy, sorgh- genera occur where tree overstory is not too denseand soils urns, and particularly Berseemclover grow well. are not too acid. The area lying between the Alborz and Zagros mountains The middle forest belt ranges from 700 - 2000 meters consists of a high V-shaped plateau which widens with above sea level. The effective precipitation of this belt is decreasing elevation as it extendssouthward. Lessermoun- higher than either the lower or higher elevational belts. In Thisarticle is based mainlyon informationprovided by Mr. F. Niknamas his contrast to the lower belt, here perennial understoryspecies thesis for a Masters Degree, 1970. are dominant. found heraceous plants include The author is professorof agriculture at FerdowsiUniversity, Mashhad, Iran, Commonly located in KhorasanProvince. Dactylis glomerata, Phleum boemeri, Melica spp., Trifolium