The Benefits of Grazing—Livestock Grazing: A Conservation Tool on California's Annual Grasslands.

Abstract

Working rangelands are open space lands that are managed with livestock grazing and rancher stewardship. Their management contributes to a variety of ecosystem services including food production, clean water, weed control, wildlife habitat maintenance and creation, fire fuel reduction, carbon sequestration, pollination services, and open space conservation. Photo: rrunaway/FiickrLooking out across the grasslands of California's Mediterranean climate zone, most of the plants you see are non-native annuals brought here from Europe and Asia. These include grasses, such as wild oats (Avena spp.) and soft chess (Bromus hordeaceus mollis) as well as forbs such as filarees (Erodium spp.) and black mustard (Brassica nigra). When left unmanaged, these non-native grasses and forbs can grow profusely in normal and above-normal precipitation years, degrading habitat conditions for some native plants and animals and increasing the risks of wildfire and pest plant infestations. California's Mediterraneantype grasslands are recognized among the world's "hot spots" of native biodiversity, despite being generally dominated by non-native species (Bartolome et al. 2014). An appreciation of this paradox and how it came to be can help conservation biologists, environmental regulators, agency managers, recreationists, and ranchers communicate more clearly about how to best manage California rangelands for the purposes of conservation.

Assessment of the Impacts of Livestock Grazing on Endangered Red Panda (<i>Ailurus fulgens</i>) Habitat in Eastern Nepal

“…Similarly, Sharma et al [19] recorded the adverse effects of livestock presence in red panda habitat in Western Nepal. However, Bartolome et al [20] and Barry et al [21] suggested that regulated livestock grazing can be an alternative conservation tool in managing the grasslands from invasive plant species and minimizing catastrophic wildland fires.…”