ABSTRACT
115The arid and semi-arid grasslands in the region bordering the Sahara Desert have been used for animal grazing for centuries. The very high variability in climate, specifically the spatial and temporal variability in precipitation both within and between years, is well documented and known to be a major challenge for local livelihood conditions. Vegetation dynamics in the pastures are more or less determined by daily rainfall, because plant growth is determined by distribution, number, quantity and intensity of individual rains. For this reason, the human strategies guiding the pastoral societies have been characterized by mobility as a means to cope with a highly fluctuating production base.
