In this study we determined that increased agrarian activity (increased rangeland ploughing) and changed livestock practices (higher stocking rates) have led to heterogeneity in the pastoral vegetation of steppe rangelands in Algeria. The biophysical constraints of a given territory (in the sense of a ‘terroir’) exacerbate the major impacts of human activity on vegetation. Plant communities were stable in some areas, whereas regressive successions were observed in others. The difference between these situations was clearly linked to grazing conditions and the proximity of ploughed land.

Landscape research plays a paramount role in the planning and management of natural resources. This study attempted to assess the development of landscape research in Ethiopia. The knowledge on the state of the art of landscape research in Ethiopia is expected to pave the way to the development of landscape as a discipline in Ethiopia, which in turn will increase the exchange of information for public benefit in the field of landscape.

The number of trampling steps, the hoof pressure and trampling intensity of yak and Tibetan sheep under different grazing intensities was studied. The results showed that the yak-to-sheep ratio of average hoof pressure was 2.20 : 1, yaks exerted 7.3 times higher trampling intensity than did sheep in lightly, moderately, and heavily grazed alpine meadows. Therefore, we suggest that the number of yaks should be appropriately reduced and the number of sheep should be increased in alpine areas.

Despite expansion of the global protected area network, biodiversity decline continues, and inappropriate grazing management is a key contributor. In this study, semi-arid rangeland where periods of planned rest were incorporated into the commercial grazing regime (rotational grazing) had similar plant richness and diversity to areas managed for conservation (ungrazed by commercial livestock) and exceeded that of continuously grazed areas. Our findings support the adoption of rotational grazing management to improve biodiversity conservation outside the reserve system without sacrificing socio-economic outcomes.

Exotic livestock may indirectly affect bird species through changes in vegetation structure, affecting nest site selection. This study in Patagonia, Argentina, demonstrated that livestock grazing reduced vegetation cover of the species used for nest building and placement of two furnariids, Leptasthenura aegithaloides and Pseudoseisura gutturalis, reducing nest abundance. As livestock density increased, selection of nesting site varied, forcing these birds to find infrequent aggregated and large plants for nesting, probably due to increasing nest exposure, illustrating the extent of the indirect effects of domestic livestock on native fauna.

This is a comment on the paper ‘Emerging opportunities for developing a diversified land sector economy in Australia’s northern savannas’ (Russell-Smith and Sangha 2018). We discuss how some of our data has been used and interpreted by Russell-Smith and Sangha. On the basis of this and other considerations we conclude that their analysis does not accurately portray the economic performance and contribution of the pastoral sector in northern Australia, nor does it justify their conclusion that fundamental land sector change is required.