Effect of Protection From Grazing on Perennial Vegetation Cover and Soil at Mislagun Area ,Southern Jebel Al-Akhdar , Libya

This preliminary study was conducted under the supervision Faculty of Natural Resources and Envirmmental Sciences at Al-Maslogun Area, an arid rangeland, south of Jabal Al-Akhdar, Libya, to investigate the effects of protection of range land from grazing animals on the richness of perennial species, their density, cover, volume, and landscape function analysis, soil surface condition, and some other soil physical and chemical properties through comparisons between closed and open areas under similar topographic features. The study began from Feb. to Sep. 2008 .The W.A.R.M.S. technique was adopted in conducting this research. The results showed in general slightly higher species diversity inside the protected area with three species but no significant difference was found in wadi sites and upland sites between protected area and open area. The only difference observed was in sites located on slopes between the closed and open ranges. The total plant density did significantly differ in wadis between closed and open ranges. Hamada scoparia, Artemisia herba-alba ,and Anabasis articulata were more abundant in the closed area. On slopes, significant differences were found in total plant density compared with the upland and wadi sites in the two areas; The densities of Hamada and Artemisia were lower in the closed area. On the contrary, the density of Anabasis was more higher in the closed area. No differences were found in total plant cover for wadi and upland sites between closed and open areas. The cover percents of Hamada, Anabasis and Artemisia were higher in the closed range, especially on slopes. The number of overall mean volume classes of Hamada was higher in wadis of the closed range, while the number of all volume classes for this species was higher on slopes and upland sites of the open range. Mean while, the large volume classes of Anabasis was higher in the closed range and lower in the slopes and upland sites of the open range. For Artemisia, the numbers of volume classes in wadi sites were nearly equal for both closed and open areas. On the other hand, the numbers of overall volume classes ware higher on slopes of the closed range while they increased on upland sites of the open range . The indices of landscape function analysis and soil surface condition that includes stability, infiltration and nutrient cycling did not differ among different sites of the close range and open range. The statistical analysis results showed higher values of all edaphic physical properties studied in wadi sites between closed range and open range except the clay, silt, sand percents. However, no significant differences in soil physical properties values were observed on upland and slope sites of closed range than open range . No differences were found in the mean values of soil pH, E.C., Soluble cations, anions, N, P,Cu, Mn, and Zn in all sites in closed and open study areas. The results of this study showed that the effect of protection from grazing on vegetation and landscape function and some soil properties are still limited to be of varient level ,probably because of the short duration of protection pericd which lasted two years, and the slow rate of growth of the perennial species, as well as the drought conditions prevailed and lead to these outcome . However, there is a general trend that may suggest that if the protection period was longer, the effects will be more pronounced