Pastoral potential of the Sahelian rangelands of the Niono Ranch in Mali

Abstract

Rangelands are the main source of livestock feed in the Sahel. These natural types of vegetation formations are influenced by many factors, including population growth, increasing livestock numbers and the high rainfall variability that characterizes the region. The rangelands of the Niono ranch, located in the Sahelian zone of Mali, once used exclusively by the research station's animals, are subject to significant grazing pressure from resident and non-resident herds. This study aims to characterize the Sahelian rangelands of the ranch in a context of major changes. To characterize the herbaceous stratum, an inventory of the main species with the method of aligned quadrats coupled with the method of 1x1m yield squares were mobilized. The structure of the woody stratum was determined by counting individuals in circles of 625 to 1250 m² (12 plots). The study reveals a floristic diversity of 40 species of annual herbaceous vegetation, the most important of which are Zornia glochidiata, Schenofeldia gracilis and Bracharia xantholeuca. The average herbaceous phytomass production was 1847 kg DM/ha in 2016. The woody stratum is made up of 23 species divided into ten families dominated by those of the Combretaceae (75%), followed by the Papilionaceae (11%). The stocking rate of the study area varied between 0.2 and 0.3 TLU/ha/year, i.e. with a pastoral value of 36,78%.