Impact of climate change on rangeland degradation and its socio-economic consequences in Zanjan Province

Rangeland degradation, as an important challenge of sustainability is influenced by various factors and can affect biodiversity, soil conservation, and sustainable rural livelihoods. The present study investigates the impact of climate change on rangeland degradation and its socio-economic consequences. This qualitative research used the grounded theory method. Using a purposeful snowball sampling method, 24 participants, rangeland livestock farmers, were selected and their data were collected by semi-structured interviews. Data was analyzed using open, axial, and selective coding, which led to 97 initial categories, 22 principal categories, and 7 themes. The relationship between themes was also identified in the selective coding process. Climate change, including increased temperature, decreased precipitation, and increased precipitation fluctuations, have impacted the reduction of growth, density, and diversity of plant species consumed by livestock, and in general, rangeland degradation. Rural society has a weak adaptive capacity to climate change to reduce the sensitivity of rangelands and livestock farmers' livelihoods and to use the necessary tools to increase adaptation. In addition, with the increase in population and the dependency of livestock farmers' livelihoods on rangelands, their use has exacerbated the impact of climate change. In addition to ecological effects, climate change has had various socio-economic consequences, including increased vulnerability, weakening of social, human, physical and financial capital, increased migration and reduced income of rural households, and this could further intensify in the future. The use of livelihood diversification and appropriate adaptation strategies can help prevent the destruction of rangelands and the vulnerability of households.