Analysis of the Environmental and Management Factors Affecting the Sustainability of Rangeland Ecosystems

Rangelands are one of the most important and valuable national resources¡ that their proper utilization with improvement and restoration has fundamental role to maintain soil¡ water and supply needs of protein products for people. For proper management of rangeland ecosystems¡ all of the factors affecting these ecosystems should be understood and comprehensively analyzed theoretically and managed. The system reaches the sustainability when it has a balance between its inputs and outputs. Inputs of ecosystems are effective environmental factors¡ grazing and other human activities. Regarding the diversity of environmental conditions in the country''s rangelands¡ the quality and effective factors affecting the sustainability will be different. This paper offers a conceptual model for the sustainable management of rangeland ecosystems of the country and environmental factors affecting the sustainability will be analyzed by the framework of a dynamic system. The environmental factors affecting the sustainability of rangeland ecosystems are wet and drought conditions¡ soil erosion¡ utilization of vegetation cover and rangeland management and modification. To achieve sustainability of rangeland ecosystems¡ all factors and their interactions should be recognized¡ and management tools should be designed according to the conditions governing the rangeland ecosystems.