Real World Challenges Seminar Series - A discussion between Dr David Eldridge, co-Editor-in-Chief of Cambridge Prisms: Drylands and Dr Jonathan Davies, Agricultural Economics & Ecology Consultant. The questions discussed will include:
The general view among practitioners and rangeland managers is that the Arabian Peninsula is extremely degraded, largely due to overgrazing by camels and goats. Is this view consistent with your understanding of these rangelands? Are there cost effective options to rehabilitate some of these degraded rangeland? Clearly, there are also likely to be co-benefits of rehabilitating degraded rangelands. Could you talk a little bit about these? There is considerable discussion among different rangeland agencies and NGOs about reinstating traditional pastoral systems such as al hima to restore rangelands and traditional lifestyles, but a lot has changed since these systems flourished. Do you think that there are elements of al hima that we could adopt in our current rangeland management practices? Perhaps tell us a little about al hima for those who aren’t familiar with these systems. How important is governance for establishing successful rangeland management practices in the Arabian Peninsula?