Too many people,too many animals for too little grass‐a Canadian perspective

摘要

Canada's agricultural land base contains 15.39 million hectares of rangeland defined as.natural land for pasture.. Some 87% of this range is in the three Canadian Prairie Provinces.This production region encompasses roughly 57 million hectares situated within the Mixed and Tall‐grass Prairie, Aspen Parkland, and Boreal Transition eco‐regions.The eco‐regions overlie some of the most agriculturally productive land in North America and are one of the most highly altered and fragmented ecosystems in the world.Institutional participation by government and NGO's is a very significant in rangeland conservation and management.For example, in the highly fragile rangelands of Southwest Saskatchewan, institutional land control affects up to 46% of the total range.A national immigration policy in the early 20th century for settlement of western Canada had scant appreciation of the fragile nature of the landscape.The result was too many settlers who lacked the appropriate agricultural skills situated on land areas not suitable for cultivated agriculture with the available technology and knowledge.An economic, social and ecological disaster ensued within about two decades.The road to recovery was long and arduous