Effects of rangeland restoration techniques on herbaceous vegetation and grazing capacity in Dallo Mana district, Southeast Ethiopia

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the restoration of highly degraded rangelands through the integration of various restoration treatments and the reseeding of native grasses in the Dallo Mana district of Bale Zone, southeast Ethiopia. Rangeland degradation is a serious problem in the semi-arid regions of the Bale Zone, negatively impacting the productivity of the rangelands and the livelihoods of pastoralists. The study site was fenced to exclude both human and animal interference, and fifteen 4 m x 4 m plots were laid out to apply 7 treatments in 3 replications, including control, mulch, cattle manure, mulch + cattle manure, ripping, semicircular bund, ripping + mulch, ripping + cattle manure, semicircular bund + mulch, semicircular bund + cattle ma-nure, ripping + mulch + cattle manure, and semicircular bund + mulch + cattle manure, using a randomized complete block design (RCBD). The results showed that the total dry matter (DM) yield of all herbaceous samples, the DM yield of grasses with intermediate desirability and less desirable grasses, and the basal cover and litter cover of dominant grasses were significantly (p<0.05) higher in the restoration sample site compared to the degraded areas, and the overall grass range condition score ranged from 16.1 (poor condition) to 33.4 (good condition), with the total dry matter yield decreasing considerably from 126.85 g m-2 in the good condition within the restoration sample site to 11.40 g m-2 in the poor condition along the open-grazed areas, with the data analyzed using analysis of variance (SAS, 2012).