Rethinking rangeland and grassland management for sustaining livelihoods and ecosystem services

Rangelands and grasslands are critical to indigenous and agriculture-based livelihoods. The sustainability of these land use systems relies on nature-friendly practices that optimise ecosystem services. This article proposes a simple "8-S" framework for the nature-friendly management of rangeland systems, including grasslands. The framework emphasises the assimilation of indigenous and modern scientific knowledge in managing space (S1), species (S2), soil and water (S3), seasonality (S4), and stress factors (S5) through a systems approach (S6). Concurrently, it emphasises the deployment of supportive infrastructure and institutional services (S7) that incentivise environmental stewardship and reinforce socioeconomic sovereignty (S8). The convergence of population pressures, evolving societal needs, finite landscape capacity, climate change, and resource overexploitation is pushing ecosystems toward tipping points, necessitating the redesign of terrestrial space through spatial ecoengineering (S1). The S1 should foster the evolution and conservation of animal, plant, and microbial species making up natural and economic biodiversity (S2); enhance soil health and hydrologic properties (S3); and enable adaptation to seasonal and climatic anomalies by moderating microclimate, preserving water resources, and adjusting management tactics (S4). Synergising the above "4-S" elements and supplementary measures imparts resilience to the system against stress factors (pests, drought, temperature extremes, wind, etc.) (S5). At the same time, a community-led co-development with a systems approach to the integration of livestock grazing, resource extraction, and recreational activities (S6), along with supportive infrastructures and policy environment, incentivises environmental stewardship (S7). These "7-S" measures help balance systems trade-offs while enhancing resource circularity. This informed and collaborative approach contributes to socioeconomic sovereignty, fostering sustainable and self-reliant livelihoods of rangeland-based communities (S8).