The Rangelands of Libya

Gustave Gintzburger, Slim Saïdi

• Publisher: CAB International
• Year: 2025
• Edition: 0
• eBook ISBN:
  9781800627154
• Topic: Technology & Engineering
• Subtopic: Ecology
• Index: Technology & Engineering

Libya remains a land of mysteries with a harsh arid climate, a land rich in millenaries of troubled history, a land where the Sahara meet the Mediterranean Sea, a land where the West and the East Mediterranean merge. Libya is also a land where the desert and the sown intermingle in the steppe country where the rainfall is unpredictable, the soils are poor, rocky, saline, rendering rainfed cultivation hazardous, where grazing and rainfed cropping remained for long the only viable agricultural options. Over the past 60 years, oil resources allowed gigantic agricultural development projects, urbanization, road network expansion and well drilling. This changed the ways of life of rural populations, impacting and undoubtedly altering rangelands conditions and systems, as well as native vegetation cover, wildlife and land use.This book reviews the past and current environmental and agricultural condition of the Libyan rangelands with example of how territories and resources are used by tribal communities. It describes, explains and illustrates the landscapes, the vegetation, the wildlife, the rainfed cereal systems and livestock systems, the reasons for the rampant overstocking, the relentless land clearing for hazardous cropping and uncertain irrigation projects, the wild fuelwood collection and charcoal manufacturing, triggering land degradation and desertification. Long-tested rangeland recovery and rehabilitation techniques in Libya are reviewed using appropriate plant material and proven establishment techniques with successes and failures assessed.This book is offered in hopes of a better future for the Libyan people and the whole Mediterranean arid regions from Morocco to Pakistan.

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Half title page
• Title page
• Contents
• About the Authors
• Foreword
• Preface
• Acknowledgements
• 1 Introduction My Libyan JourneyGus Gintzburger
• 2 The Libyan Rangelands under Siege
• 3 Climate, Bioclimates and Droughts
• 4 Geomorphology and Landforms
• 5 The Libyan Soils
• 6 The Vegetation Types
• 7 The Most Common Libyan Rangeland Plants
• 8 From Rangeland Vegetation Standing Biomass to Stocking Rates
• 9 The Rainfed Ley Farming System on Rangelands in Western Libya
• 10 Livestock on Libyan Rangelands
• 11 Water on Rangelands
• 12 Tribes and Territories
• 13 Forests, Afforestation, Fuelwood and Charcoal
• 14 Past and Present Wildlife on Libyan Rangelands
• 15 Assessing Rangeland Recovery, Degradation and Desertification
• 16 Recovery, Restoration and Rehabilitation of Degraded Rangeland
• 17 Agro-ecological Zoning of Libya: The Case of Barley and the Olive Tree
• 18 Overall Conclusions
• Collecting plants, photos and herbarium specimens
• Glossary
• Index