In the arid lowlands, vegetation recovery around the Kargi and Korr settlements was observed.
Around the Korr settlement that was mapped some 25 years ago as being desertified, key fodder
species now dominate the areas around the settlement, which also has higher herbaceous and shrub
cover. In these arid lowlands herders have been actively involved in environmental management.
The home herds are located in pastoral camps outside the settlements, and due to protection, the
rangelands within a 4 km radius of the settlements show recovery of both herbaceous and woody
vegetation. Monitoring of the communal grazing areas did not show significant variations in species
composition over the 24 year period, although the herders reported changes in land use patterns from
seasonal to year round grazing. The changes in species composition were confirmed by ecological
ix
methods, which linked the changes to seasonal variability, as opposed to permanent loss in species
composition. Around the permanent settlements of Kargi and Korr, satellite imagery showed an
increase in vegetation cover between1986 and 2000.