Relationship between range condition and the land tenure system in Sonora

Abstract

The main objective of this study was to describe the relationship between rangeland condition and land tenure system. Other management and biophysical variables were also analyzed. The data for this study were obtained from range condition studies done during the period of 1973 to 1993 in the State of Sonora, Mexico. The sample of 480 cases, included ejidos and private properties and covering an area of 1,774,479 hectares. The information was analyzed using simple tabulation, contingency analysis, correlation analysis, and multiple regression, using range condition as the dependent variable and the land tenure and management and biophysical variables as the independent variables. No direct linear relationship between rangeland condition and land tenure system was observed, but the chi-square result showed different rangeland condition distribution for both land tenure systems. The only variables linearly related to range condition were infrastructure condition and precipitation. Rangeland condition was most strongly related to precipitation in the year of survey, where higher condition ratings were observed in wetter years. Rangeland condition ratings for ejido holdings were higher than private holdings because the surveys on ejidos were performed in wetter years than private lands. Variables like precipitation are almost impossible to modify, but they should be taken into consideration in cattle management. People can modify some variables. For example, improving the infrastructure condition and attaining a better grazing distribution could help both types of properties to improve rangeland condition. Because precipitation level is so strongly related to rangeland condition in any one year, it is important that land managers, administrators, lenders, and policy makers demand many years of rangeland condition surveys, that include wet and dry years to evaluate all rangeland management practices, including the land tenure system.