Cascabela thevetia (Captain Cook tree; yellow oleander) has become an invasive weed in northern Australia. Seven experiments related to seed germination and longevity of its yellow and peach biotypes were undertaken. Both biotypes germinated across a wide range of temperature regimes and under both natural light and shade conditions. With seeds appearing to remain viable for only 2 years in the field, this weed is manageable provided annual control activities are undertaken to help prevent replenishment of soil seed banks.

Local strategies are key to adapting to the global environmental change in semiarid regions. This paper found the transformation of herders’ behavioural strategies resulted from variations in spatial and temporal patterns of climate change, pasture degradation, new policies and marketisation in pastoral areas in Inner Mongolia, China. Herders’ adaptation is the basic of the adaptive management in grassland regions under future challenges of global change.

Ten years after restoration via mechanical intervention and direct seeding, severely degraded (scalded) areas continue to support patchy recruitment of Maireana pyramidata over A. vesicaria low shrubland. This investigation detected improved cover and abundance of perennial direct seeded and wild-sourced species in the furrow. Depending on the species, the furrow supported increased germination of seedlings, or survival of mature and/or reproductive plants. By identifying species likely to benefit from the altered microtopography of the soil we can maximise our investment in future restoration programs.

Restoring native grassland ecosystems is challenging in the presence of fast-growing weeds, which compete for nutrients, water and sunlight. Effective weed control that removes aboveground weed biomass while mitigating the deleterious effects of soil enrichment has been trialled in southern Australia, but not in northern New South Wales. Our results show that scalping enhances native grass recruitment, and combinations of sugar and sawdust with glyphosate effectively control weeds. These techniques have the potential to improve grassland restoration in this region.

Land degradation affects 25% of the vegetated area in the world and overgrazing is a common cause of it, particularly in Northern Mexico. We found that overgrazing by goats caused severe problems related to disturbed soil hydrological patterns and loss of species diversity, whose severity depended on soil types. The observed degradation reflects an unsustainable rangeland management practice that should be avoided to seek soil conservation and ecosystem protection.

Despite the increasing number of horses grazing in northern Spanish mountains, little is known about their effects on predominant plant communities such as heathlands. We studied vegetation dynamics under horse grazing at three different heathland types during three years, and found that gorse dominance was reduced whereas the cover of typical heather species and some herbaceous plants increased. Floristic diversity increased compared with non-grazed heathlands, so horse grazing could be beneficial for the restoration of these rangelands.

Assessing impact of climate change on vegetation types and net primary productivity (NPP) can reveal how climate influences vegetation distribution and NPP over time and space. Substantial shifts in vegetation classes in Australia were projected and NPP was projected to increase in central and northern Australia and to decrease in southern and eastern coastal areas in 2050. Projected decrease for vegetation classes with more intense land use may have significant impact on grazing industry and biodiversity conservation.