摘要：Pastoralists' knowledge of adaptive rangeland management in Iran has long been only selectively analyzed anddocumented. This study attempts to rectify that by outlining the indigenous ecological knowledge of the pastoralists of Nariyanvillage in the Taleghan region of northern Iran, and by evaluating the influence of such knowledge on rangeland management.Local herd owners operate according to traditional herding practices; their knowledge of rangeland plants and principles ofsustainable rangeland management is indigenous and is based on centuries of experience and observation. Their in-depthknowledge covers the medicinal properties of various local plant species and the palatability of the most salient forage speciesin terms of sustaining the sheep and goats that are their livelihood. This study investigates some of the traditional strategies ofrangeland management used in the Taleghan region, the rationale and timing of livestock rotation in the rangelands, locallandscape classification, and local know-how in animal husbandry, all of which are indispensable in contributing to thepastoralists' survival and maintenance of the local environment
