Investigation of utilizers view on the livestock grazing frequency and intensity in the rangeland (Case Study: Summer rangelands of Kuhdasht)

Livestock grazing is one of the most important factors effective on soil and vegetation structure and function. This study aimed to investigate the factors affecting the grazing frequency and intensity in the rangeland in autumn 2015. The statistical population was the heads of tribal families in Kuhdasht city (1038 families), among which 310 heads of households were selected by the Cochran formula in stratified random sampling method. Data were collected by questionnaires and direct interview containing seven open questions and 17 closed questions. The validity and reliability of questionnaires were approved by a panel of experts and calculating the Cronbach alpha coefficient (above 0.85), respectively. Kendal correlation coefficient showed that there was a significant relationship between the grazing frequency with the annual mean income and cost of beneficiaries, annual calving of 10 livestock and distance between summer and winter rangelands. There was also a significant relationship between grazing intensity and the annual calving of 10 livestock. The results of Mann-Whitney test showed that there was a significant difference between the index of grazing frequency and intensity in winter rangeland. The results of the Kruskal-Wallis test also showed that there was no significant difference between index of grazing frequency and intensity with utilization type of rangeland.