Goats have depended solely on forages within the Chihuahuan Desert for centuries and they constitute a ready source of cash income and food for peasants. Goats in this region are vigorous foragers capable of selecting nutrients in amounts to meet their needs for growth, milk yield and gestation. They are well adapted to overcome scarcity of food on the Chihuahuan Desert rangelands and so their production constitutes a sustainable system favouring wildlife habitat, shrub control and beef cattle production.

Yak farming is a reliable source of livelihoods for the mountains’ pastoralists in Bhutan. Rapid economic changes coupled with the government policy thrust for the equitable and balanced socioeconomic development across the country have undermined the sustainability of the age-old traditions of yak farming. The government should put in place enabling and appropriate policy supports for yak research and development that will encourage younger pastoralists to take up and continue with the age-old tradition of yak farming.

Shrubs are important habitat for arthropods, such as insects, but we know surprisingly little about how factors like shrub density and species affect the fauna. We investigated the effects of two common shrubs on arthropods, and found that different shrubs support different animal communities. These results suggest biodiversity in shrublands may be quite high, and very region-specific.

This paper examines effects of stress factors on seeds and seedlings of an invasive species, Nicotiana glauca. Results show the species is able to germinate over a broad range of temperatures. Germination is reduced by water stress and is greatest when seeds are on the soil surface. Seedling emergence decreased as planting depth increased. Studies such as this are important in the development of control strategies for invasive species.