Abstract:
This study aimed to identify the environmental impact of
pastoralist movement on the natural rangeland in Butana
area of Sudan. For data collection, afield survey was started
in the first of July and ended late September 2011. A
random sample of 407 pastoralists’ households in Butana
area was chosen to collect primary data through a structured
questionnaire. Descriptive statistics were used for data
analysis. The data were coded, summarized, tabulated and
processed. Analysis was conducted using (SPSS) computer
program. The results were presented in the form of a
frequency distribution. It was found that (80.1%) of
pastoralists reported that rangeland situation was poor. The
majority of pastoralists (79.1%) said that the current
rangeland problem is soil degradation. Also, (88.2%) said
that dry season / drought has the major effect on the
rangeland. In addition, all respondent pastoralists reported
that new plant species have invaded the area. About (77.1%)
of respondents said expansion of rain-fed agriculture in the
study area reduced the area of the natural rangeland and that
there were conflicts between farmers and herders on
rangeland. The study recommended that rangeland should
be improved by government through availing animals’
services, reseeding and proper distribution of water points.
