Animal board invited review: Grassland-based livestock farming and biodiversity

Fraser, Malcolm; Vallin, Hannah; Roberts, Benjamin Philip

doi:10.1016/j.animal.2022.100671

Cited by 20 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 117 publications

(129 reference statements)

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“…Unfortunately, very little information is available on more common grazing environments that associate areas of open vegetation (grassland, open shrubland) and woodland or dense shrub land, whereas such environments are at the crossroads of biodiversity issues, e.g. high biodiversity in rangelands and mosaic landscapes (Fraser et al, 2022), environmental issues, e.g. higher carbon sequestration in natural and diverse grazing environments (Lorenz and Lal, 2018), and animal welfare issues, especially the provision of shelter (Snoeks et al, 2015).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Contribution of woody plants to horses’ diets in Mediterranean rangelands

Mikicic¹,

Jouven

Etienne

et al. 2023

Rev. Elev. Med. Vet. Pays Trop.

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In Mediterranean countries, shrubby and woody areas provide herds with cheap fodder. However, some horse farmers are reluctant to use woody rangelands, which they associate with low-quality feed. In this article, we explore some aspects of the feeding behavior of horses on Mediterranean shrubby and woody rangelands, in order to document their pastoral interest for horses. We observed the feeding choices of young horses grazing on typical peri-Mediterranean rangelands. Observations were repeated at two sites, with four horses per site, over four days with two observers. At each site, two horses were fitted with GPS (positioning system) collars to determine their presence in different areas of the paddocks. Ingested plants were classified in a coding grid. The chemical characteristics of each feed item were estimated by near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). A hierarchical classification of NIRS spectra defined four classes. Leaves, twigs, and flowers of several woody species were ingested (1‒18% of recorded bites), although herbaceous species were preferred (> 80% of bites). Horses explored the entire paddocks but grazed preferentially in open areas. The differences observed between sites suggested a strong effect of local grazing conditions. The chemical composition of feed from shrubs and trees was close to that of herbaceous forbs but quite different from that of grasses. Three out of four classes associated woody plants and forbs. These classes had interesting nutritional characteristics (protein > 12%). These results confirm the positive contribution of woody plants to horses' nutrition, in addition to the other roles of woody plants in the well-being of horses on pasture.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Contribution of woody plants to horses’ diets in Mediterranean rangelands

Mikicic¹,

Jouven

Etienne

et al. 2023

Rev. Elev. Med. Vet. Pays Trop.

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“…In extensive grazing, herds have access to large areas of natural pasture in the surrounding settlement landscape or within a more limited territorial extent. Different domestic animal species can share grazing areas, resulting in more efficient resource utilization [ 34 , 35 ]. The cyclical pattern of grazing areas would facilitate vegetation recovery in previously grazed areas [ 36 , 37 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Shepherding the past: High-resolution data on Neolithic Southern Iberian livestock management at Cueva de El Toro (Antequera, Málaga)

Sierra,

Navarrete,

Alcàntara

et al. 2024

PLoS ONE

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The feeding strategies of the first domesticated herds had to manage the risks arising from the novelty of livestock practices in territories often distant from the animals’ primary habitats. The Iberian Peninsula is characterised by a great diversity of environments, which undoubtedly influenced these dynamics. At the beginning of the Neolithic period these led the possibility to combine diverse livestock farming practices based on different animal feeding habits. This variability is also consistent with the rythms of adoption of domesticated animals, being later on the northern area. In order to address this issue, this work focuses on the dietary regimes of early sheep herds from southern Iberia, an area for which information is currently scarce. This study utilises high-resolution radiocarbon dating and stable isotope data on teeth to investigate sheep husbandry management strategies in Cueva de El Toro (Antequera, Málaga). The radiocarbon dates on the analysed remains evidenced they were deposited at the site over a short period, supporting the recurrent use of the cave. The sequential analysis of oxygen and carbon isotopes in tooth enamel reveals distinct livestock management strategies, reproduction patterns, feeding habits, and mobility during this short period. This variability demonstrates that livestock management practices in the western Mediterranean are more diverse than previously considered. Furthermore, these findings support the hypothesis that early Neolithic communities in the southern Iberian Peninsula were able to adopt different feeding strategies within the same herd, depending on their ecological and productive needs.

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“…Multiple studies have investigated the habitat use by free-ranging livestock to make better management decisions and promote resource conservation [12][13][14][15]. Cattle are generally less selective in their feed preferences compared to other grazing livestock such as sheep and goats [16]. They prefer habitats with a high biomass production such as meadows and grasslands but are also used in nature conservation on salt meadows and heathland with lower biomass production [15,17].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using Activity Measures and GPS Data from a Virtual Fencing System to Assess Habitat Preference and Habitat Utilisation Patterns in Cattle

Aaser,

Staahltoft,

Andersen

et al. 2024

Preprint

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There has been an increased focus on new technologies to monitor habitat use and behaviour of cattle, to develop a more sustainable livestock grazing system, without compromising animal welfare. The currently most used method for monitoring cattle behaviour is tri-axial accelerometer data from systems such as virtual fencing technology or bespoke monitoring technology. This method requires high frequency data, and as such, quickly drains contemporary systems of power making it unsuitable for long-term monitoring. In this paper, we explore the possibility of determining habitat preference and habitat utilisation patterns in cattle, using low frequency activity and location data. We do this by (1) calculating habitat selection ratios, (2) determining daily activity patterns and based on those, (3) inferring grazing and resting sites in a group of cattle wearing virtual fencing collars in a coastal setting with grey, wooded and decalcified dunes, humid dune slacks and salt meadows. We found that GPS data, and a measure of activity, combined with accurate mapping of habitats can be an effective tool in assessing habitat preference. The animals preferred salt meadows over the other habitats, with wooded dunes and humid dune slacks being the least preferred. We were able to identify daily patterns in activity. By comparing general trends in activity levels to existing literature, it was possible to somewhat infer resting and grazing behaviour in the different habitats. According to our inference of behaviour the herd predominantly used the salt meadows for resting and ruminating. The approach used in this study allowed us to use GPS location data for measuring the activity and combine it with accurate habitat mapping in a cheap and effective way, which can be an important tool for guiding management decisions.

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Animal board invited review: Grassland-based livestock farming and biodiversity

Cited by 20 publications

References 117 publications

Contribution of woody plants to horses’ diets in Mediterranean rangelands

Contribution of woody plants to horses’ diets in Mediterranean rangelands

Shepherding the past: High-resolution data on Neolithic Southern Iberian livestock management at Cueva de El Toro (Antequera, Málaga)

Using Activity Measures and GPS Data from a Virtual Fencing System to Assess Habitat Preference and Habitat Utilisation Patterns in Cattle

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