Effects of long-term removal of sheep-grazing in a series of British upland plant communities: Insights from plant species composition and traits

Alday, Josu G.; O’Reilly, John E.; Rose, Rob; Marrs, Rob H.

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143508

Cited by 9 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 55 publications

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“…In the context of our results, we recommend: Livestock grazing (particularly cattle) close to congeneric seed source may be useful for oak establishment by reducing dense and competitive vegetation (such as P. aquilinum ) (Pakeman et al., 2019) which evidence suggests providing little additional benefit for young (1–3 years) saplings (Humphrey & Swaine, 1997; Janzen, 1971)(Table 4; SI Table A.4). Future studies should explore the effectiveness of fast rotational or ‘mob grazing’ using multiple long‐term, manipulative ‘pull factor’ effects (Lunt et al., 2021) and paired fenced and/or invisible fencing exclosures (Alday et al., 2021; Jachowski et al., 2014). These could be established across a range of settings and topographies to better ascertain how livestock management vegetation structure influence oak recruitment (density and age profile) away from adult congeneric trees. On sites where oak seedlings and saplings (1–3 years) have colonized, livestock should be excluded for a minimum period of 12 years to increase sapling survival, growth and establishment.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Optimizing opportunities for oak woodland expansion into upland pastures

Murphy

Hanley

Ellis

et al. 2022

Ecol Sol and Evidence

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Woodland expansion is widely advocated for the mitigation of climate change and its impacts. This is supported by ambitious targets for increasing tree cover in the United Kingdom and elsewhere to aid carbon storage, flood mitigation and biodiversity provision. However, it remains unclear whether natural tree establishment can supply demand for expanded treescapes in remote, anthropogenically modified upland landscapes. We assessed natural establishment of NW‐European native oak (Quercus robur, Q. petraea) saplings (< 12 years) in UK upland pasture systems adjacent to established ‘Atlantic’ oak woodlands on Dartmoor, SW England. We compared the extent of natural sapling colonization (abundance) into pasture sites on the moorland fringe and assessed their survival and growth throughout early life history using long‐ and short‐term grazing exclusion experiments. Natural oak establishment typically occurred on naturally freely draining pasture slopes and at high densities (up to 1900 saplings per ha–1) within 20 m of the nearest adult congeneric. Beyond 20 m from a likely seed source, establishment was limited with no recorded establishment between 75–100 m. The natural establishment of oak saplings in grazed pastures was specific to ontogeny with livestock exclusion only favouring the density of older recruits (8–12 years). Results suggest an age‐dependent relationship between ground cover and sapling performance; that is positive association between bare‐ground and height for 4–7 year old trees, but little effect for seedlings and younger (0–3 years) saplings. Our scoping study highlights that with informed livestock management, there is significant opportunity for natural expansion of oak woodland into upland pastures where existing propagule sources are present (woodland edge, isolated trees). We signpost, however, that rapid expansion of oak woodland into UK uplands for climate mitigation is likely to require targeted planting and temporary grazing cessation, and there is need for improved evaluation of the effects of grazer exclosure and ontogeny specific ecology to better facilitate native woodland expansion efforts.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Optimizing opportunities for oak woodland expansion into upland pastures

Murphy

Hanley

Ellis

et al. 2022

Ecol Sol and Evidence

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“…He asserts that the effective management of grazing sheep is crucial to maintaining the health of upland environments, partly because these areas are inaccessible to heavier machinery. A discussion of the role of livestock grazing in sustaining upland ecology is beyond the scope of this article (but see Alday et al., 2021; Pakeman et al., 2019). Nonetheless, we can read Participant 12's statement as an appeal for a high public valuation and monetary support for upland farming based on the ecological landscapes that it sustains.…”

Section: Results: Legacies Labour and Farming Futuresmentioning

confidence: 99%

‘You have to keep it going’: Relational values and social sustainability in upland agriculture

2022

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A transition to a more sustainable food production system in Europe has significant implications for the social constitution of rural spaces. Moreover, research has highlighted that engagement with sustainability initiatives can be affected by people's desire to maintain aspects of their current social realities pertaining to occupations, traditions and lifestyles. Farmers are central to a sustainable agricultural transition, yet are also socially embedded in the spaces that are targeted for transformation. This article engages with this dilemma through an exploration of farmer values in an upland farming area in Ireland. Specifically, we draw on qualitative case‐study data to explore how farmers value their occupation, lifestyles and social structures in terms of the relationships in which they operate. We highlight a range of dimensions through which case‐study farmers value farming—especially as autonomous, outdoor work—in terms of tacit skills and knowledge, familial legacies and certain forms of social organisation. Conceptually, this article builds on calls from within social sustainability scholarship to engage with social aspects of sustainable development. We develop and deploy a relational values analytic framework, which offers a simple yet effective lens for exploring farmer values in terms of the relationships through which they are generated and articulated. Through this framework, we explore how different individuals value their farming occupations and lifestyles. Moreover, by focusing on the relational dimension, we tease out the multiple and sometimes conflicting values that individuals navigate in relation to their farming occupations. We conclude that this kind of approach could enhance understanding of farmer engagement with (or resistance to) sustainable agriculture initiatives.

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“…At low altitude, absence of thinning or low thinning would allow the community to be preserved while medium and heavy thinning would increment the diversity of the understorey community inducing early successional species to grow with consequent compositional changes. This could reduce the conservation value of the understorey community at low altitude (Alday et al, 2021). Conversely, at higher altitude the actual understorey community would not be considerably affected by medium or heavy thinnings, allowing more flexibility in the choice of the more adequate management alternative to preserve the community structure.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%