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Landscape sustainability science in the drylands: mobility, rangelands and livelihoods

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Abstract

Context

The global drylands cover 41% of the terrestrial surface and support millions of pastoralists and host diverse flora and fauna. Ongoing socioeconomic and environmental transformations in drylands make it imperative to understand how to achieve the twin goals of food security and ecosystem health.

Objectives

The review focuses on examining the patterns of rangeland vegetation dynamics and livelihood transformations associated with changes in pastoralist mobility.

Methods

We conducted a comprehensive review of literature on dryland sustainability based on the coupled systems framework and through the lens of mobility, which reflects not only human and livestock movements but also the unique lifestyles and cultural identities of people in drylands.

Results

We find that mobility, which is critical for pastoralists to survive and thrive in the drylands, is generally in decline and has significant implications on dryland sustainability. Reduced mobility exacerbates bush encroachment and land degradation, as sedentarized pastoralists use the rangelands more recursively. Associated with declining mobility is livelihood intensification and diversification, but such livelihood transitions may carry both socioeconomic and environmental risks.

Conclusions

We argue that to advance landscape sustainability science and reconcile concerns over environmental conservation and human well-being across the global drylands, we must better understand the underlying mechanisms of coupled systems transitions through the lens of mobility, and integrate the perspectives of multiple stakeholders with fundamentally different interests and priorities.

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Funding

This research was funded by a startup grant at Arizona State University.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Sustainability, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA

    Chuan Liao

  2. School for Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Arun Agrawal

  3. Northwest Watershed Research Center, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Boise, ID, USA

    Patrick E. Clark

  4. Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA

    Simon A. Levin & Daniel I. Rubenstein

Authors
  1. Chuan Liao
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  2. Arun Agrawal
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  3. Patrick E. Clark
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  4. Simon A. Levin
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  5. Daniel I. Rubenstein
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Chuan Liao.

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Liao, C., Agrawal, A., Clark, P.E. et al. Landscape sustainability science in the drylands: mobility, rangelands and livelihoods. Landscape Ecol 35, 2433–2447 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-020-01068-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-020-01068-8

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