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Grazing Management, Conservation and Climate Mitigation on Rangelands

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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainability, Biodiversity and Conservation".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2023) | Viewed by 5676

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Dr. Sheila J. Barry

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Guest Editor

UCD · UCCE Santa Clara County, University of California, San Jose, CA 95112, USA
Interests: rangeland ecology and management; beef cattle production; rangeland conservation; grazing management

Dr. Stephanie Larson

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Director of University of California Cooperative Extension, Sonoma County, Santa Rosa, CA 95403-2894, USA
Interests: sheep management and production; fiber production; rangeland and natural resource management; water quality

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Grazing on rangelands represents the dominant anthropogenic land use worldwide; rangelands cover over 50% of the terrestrial land. Rangelands, including grasslands characterized by natural growing herbaceous plants, provide livestock forage, supply food and fiber, water, open space, habitat, and carbon storage. While poorly managed livestock grazing can degrade rangeland and its resources, and enteric fermentation from livestock contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, properly managed grazing can support conservation and mitigate climate impacts. Through consumption, physical impact and nutrient redistribution, grazing livestock can change vegetation, fire fuel loads, soils, and habitats. Although these effects of livestock grazing are known, their impact on rangeland ecosystems and resources depends on the flora and fauna species present, current and changing environmental conditions, and the effective management of the livestock and their grazing. The relationships between conservation, livestock grazing, and the people involved in managing grazing lands are varied and complex. Understanding the complexity to manage for rangeland sustainability requires knowledge of specific variables and how they relate and interact with one another.

In this special issue we welcome research articles, critical reviews, and surveys on any aspect of grazing and sustainable management of rangelands. We encourage contributors to share their knowledge, discuss current trends and innovations, and consider the future of grazing and sustainable rangeland management. Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

Grazing planning, management, and new technologies
Grazing effects and impacts on rangeland resources
Grazing and fire fuels management
Adapting grazing management to climate change
Climate impacts and climate mitigation of grazing
Monitoring methods, strategies, and models, and
Rangeland livestock production and other social–ecological aspects of grazing

Dr. Sheila J. Barry
Dr. Stephanie Larson
Guest Editors

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Keywords

grazing management
rangeland
grassland ecology
climate change
species conservation
fire
rangeland livestock production

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 1688 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Cattle Grazing Moderates Greenhouse Gas and Particulate Matter Emissions from California Grassland Wildfires

by Felix Ratcliff, Sheila Barry, Devii Rao, Rowan Peterson, Theresa Becchetti, Ermias Kebreab, Kaveh Motamed, Minju Jung and Frank Mitloehner

Sustainability 2023, 15(18), 13539; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151813539 - 11 Sep 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1689

Abstract

Between 2010 and 2020, an average of 36,037 hectares of grassland burned in wildfires in California each year, emitting greenhouse gasses (GHGs) and particulate matter (PM). These emissions impact climate and human health. Cattle grazing removes herbaceous fuel through the consumption of forage; however, ruminant digestion also emits GHGs. The purpose of this study was to examine the GHG and PM impact of livestock grazing in grasslands that go on to burn. We used Monte Carlo simulation to determine whether forage consumption by livestock led to reductions in grassland wildfire emissions and whether these reductions outweighed the emissions from the digestion of that forage. We estimate that between 2010 and 2020, an average of 11,590 metric tons (MT) of herbaceous fuel were removed by cattle annually from grasslands in California that went on to burn. This resulted in annual wildfire emission reductions ranging between 0.001 and 0.025 million metric tons (MMT) of CO₂ equivalents (CO₂e) and between 11 and 314 MT of PM_2.5; a small fraction of total GHG and PM emissions from wildfires in California. We also evaluated the change in emissions if burned grasslands in California’s Central and North Coast regions—where removing grazing can lead to the encroachment of shrubs into grasslands—were instead shrublands. If the grasslands that burned in these regions in 2020 had instead been shrublands, we estimate that as much as 0.90 MMT more CO₂e and 8448 MT more PM_2.5 would have been emitted by wildfires, highlighting the long-term implications of livestock grazing. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Grazing Management, Conservation and Climate Mitigation on Rangelands)

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43 pages, 3208 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Simulation of the Impact of Rangeland Management Strategies on Soil Health, Environmental Footprint, Economic Impact, and Human-Edible Nutrient Conversion from Grasslands in the Central and Northern Great Plains of the United States

by Merri E. Day, Minfeng Tang, Phillip A. Lancaster, Deann Presley, Dustin L. Pendell, Walter H. Fick, Luca Doro, Adam Ahlers and Andrew Ricketts

Sustainability 2023, 15(16), 12456; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151612456 - 16 Aug 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1005

Abstract

The objective of this study was to determine the impact of combinations of management practices on the sustainability of rangelands in different ecoregions across the Great Plains. Six study sites were selected in Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming, Montana, and South Dakota, encompassing the Flint Hills, High Plains, and Sandhills ecoregions. Twelve rangeland management scenarios were developed from combinations of stocking density (light, moderate, heavy), grazing management (continuous, rotational), and fire regime (no burn, spring burn) along with a no-management scenario. Each scenario was simulated at each site using established computer models: Agricultural Policy/Environmental eXtender model, Integrated Farm System Model, and Impact Analysis for Planning. Additionally, human-edible nutrient conversion was computed. A sustainability index was developed to encompass the three sustainability pillars (i.e., environmental, economic, and social) into a single value. Unmanaged rangelands generally had less soil (20%), nitrogen (30%), and phosphorus (50%) losses, although this was not consistent across ecoregions, and similar or greater soil carbon deposition than grazed rangelands. There was an interaction among stocking density, grazing management, fire regime, and ecoregion for many indicators of soil health, greenhouse gas emissions, economic activity, and human-edible nutrient conversion. The scenarios with the greatest overall sustainability index value had moderate to high index values for each of the three pillars (people, planet, profit). In conclusion, the ranking of rangeland management practices based on sustainability indicators was inconsistent across ecoregions, indicating that the optimal management system to improve sustainability of rangelands is not the same for all ecoregions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Grazing Management, Conservation and Climate Mitigation on Rangelands)

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18 pages, 3712 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Influence of Pastoral Settlements Gradient on Vegetation Dynamics and Nutritional Characteristics in Arid Rangelands

by Akash Jamil, Muhammad Zubair and Bryan A. Endress

Sustainability 2023, 15(6), 4849; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15064849 - 9 Mar 2023

Viewed by 1243

Abstract

An expansion of pastoral settlements in arid rangelands can increase pressure on fragile ecosystems. High stocking rates and inappropriate rangeland management can cause large, difficult-to-reverse changes in the composition and structure of rangeland ecosystems. This study aims to understand changes in vegetation composition (cover, density, biomass, richness, diversity) and nutritional characteristics of range vegetation along a gradient of increasing pastoral population in arid rangelands of Pakistan. Three sites were selected for sampling within three areas classified by their distance from settlement: Near, Away, Far (9 sites in total) belt transects (10 × 150 m). A total of 90 transects (30 each in classified sites) of size 10 × 150 m were placed at a distance of 100 m apart from each distance group. Results identified 28 species from nine plant families. We found a significant difference in vegetation characteristics along the gradient. Vegetation diversity increased along the settlement gradient, highest being in the far sites. Density, plant cover and biomass were greatest at the sites near pastoral communities and decreased as the distance from the settlements increased. Palatable species were characterized by low density and diversity near herder’s villages, but values increased as the distance from the villages increased. An increase in shrubs was observed near pastoral settlements, resulting in higher plant cover, biomass and density in these sites. This study identified anthropogenic impacts on rangeland structure and composition and found large shifts near communities. The frequent monitoring of vegetation resources is important, and the development of sustainable conservative strategies are recommended to ensure harmonious coexistence of pastoral populations in arid rangelands. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Grazing Management, Conservation and Climate Mitigation on Rangelands)

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13 pages, 1679 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Recovery and Germination of Malus sieversii (Ledeb.) M. Roem. (Rosaceae) Seeds after Ingestion by Cattle, Horses, and Sheep

by Jiang Xu, Zongfang Zhang, Shilin Bai, Yaya Lv, Xiaojun Shi and Dunyan Tan

Sustainability 2022, 14(21), 13930; https://doi.org/10.3390/su142113930 - 26 Oct 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1198

Abstract

Livestock can transport seeds long distances by endozoochory due to their large home range and capacity to move among different habitats. However, differences in digestive system and body size between different livestock species may result in variations in the dispersal of domestic livestock. To test such effects, we explore the effects of endozoochorous seed dispersal of Malus sieversii by three livestock: cattle, horse, and sheep in the Ili Botany Garden, northwest of China. We collected seeds of M. sieversii and fed them to cattle, horses and sheep. After feeding, we collected all the seeds from their feces every 24 h for 6 days and determined the seed recovery percent, mean retention time, and germination percent of seeds after the effects of the digestive tracts of those three livestock species. Seed recovery percent in three livestock species feces were cattle (CS) (54.05%) > horse (HS) (4.83%) > sheep (SS) (0.45%). The mean retention time of seeds in the digestive tract of cattle, horses and sheep were 53 h, 57 h, and 45 h. The seed weight and seed coat thickness decreased significantly after the treatment of the digestive tract. After 80 days cold stratification of seeds, the germination percent of CK, CS, and HS were 61%, 69%, and 18%, respectively. The results indicated cattle is an effective seed disperser of M. sieversii, with a recovery and germination percent in endozoochorous seed dispersal by cattle than that of horse and sheep. Our findings may also provide a theoretical basis about regarding seed-centric grazing management decisions and keeping horse and sheep out of pastures during the fruit of M. sieversii shedding period. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Grazing Management, Conservation and Climate Mitigation on Rangelands)

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