Uzbekistan: Rehabilitation of Desert Rangelands Affected by Salinity, to Improve Food Security, Combat Desertification and Maintain the Natural Resource Base - Combating Desertification in Asia, Africa and the Middle East - page 256

Fig. 13.11 ( a ) Natural pastures at Kyzylkesek site highly affected by salinity (before improve-
ment); ( b ) rehabilitation of saline prone lands by using Atriplex nitens (monotypic cultivated
halophytic pasture after improvement)

The main rangelands restoration techniques include:

• Establishment of artificial phytocenoesis (single and mixed species stands) by

direct seeding of salt tolerant crops and halophytes for controlling water table
and salt balance on abandoned non-productive pastures;

• Introduction of a range of deep rooted annuals and perennials forage species,

legumes, chenopod and tree species for increasing of arid fodder production;

• Tree plantations, shelterbelts and wind breaks.

The rangelands grazing capacity and yield of green/dry biomass significantly
increase, when agro-silvi pastoral management practices are applied. An integrated,
landscape approach, in which both agricultural land uses and conserved forest areas
are closely integrated in a mosaic landscape, can provide an important means of
conserving biodiversity within agricultural landscapes, while also maintaining farm
productivity. Agricultural mosaics which retain abundant tree cover (whether as
forest fragments, riparian areas, live fences or dispersed trees) can conserve high
plant and animal species richness, by providing complementary habitats, resources
and landscape connectivity for a significant portion of the original biota. Landscape
configurations that connect dryland saxaul ( Haloxylon spp.) and other trees forest
patches and retain high structural and floristic complexity will generally conserve
more species than those lacking connectivity or habitat complexity.
The areas near subsoil wells (hot springs) and wet solonchaks with predominance
of halophyte plant community and low botanic diversity are considered the domains
with the most rapid increase of pasture degradation (Fig. 13.11 a, b).
For the reclamation of these saline prone rangelands we recommended the
sowing of forage halophytes from genus Atriplex , Kochia , Climacoptera in pure
stands as monotypic halophytic pastures or mixed as a multi-component halophytic
pastures designated to be grazed in fall-winter season after rains, when surplus of
salts will be washed out (natural effect of soil leaching).
Mixture of C 3 /C 4 desert fodder species planted within the inter-spaces of salt-
tolerant trees/shrubs plantations improves productivity of degraded rangelands