This study shows how data from very different disciplines can be combined to address questions relevant to contemporary conservation and understanding. This novel, interdisciplinary approach provides new insights into the role of economic factors as a driver of biodiversity loss in the uplands. Biodiversity levels have varied considerably over 400 years, partly as a function of land management,...

Growing pearl millet and cowpea in combination with raising ruminant livestock is widely practised in the Sahel. In this farming system, livestock feeding depends mostly on rangeland, fallows and cropland grazing. Nutritional constraints to grazing ruminants stem primarily from feed scarcity and seasonal fluctuations in feed supply associated with low rainfall and poor soil fertility. Low feed ...

Overgrazing has been the primary cause of grassland degradation in the semi-arid grasslands of the agro-pastoral transition zone in northern China. However, there has been little evidence regarding grazing intensity impacts on vegetation change and soil C and N dynamics in this region. This paper reports the effects of four grazing intensities namely un-grazed (UG), lightly grazed (LG), moderat...

Logging and livestock grazing are widespread management practices in Southwestern ponderosa pine forests that may act either independently or synergistically with fire management to influence habitat availability and use, reproductive success, and songbird population levels. Fire, historically an important natural process in Southwestem ponderosa pine forests, had far-reaching affects on forest...

Gustafson, T., 2006. Bird communities and vegetation on Swedish wet meadows – importance of management regimes and landscape composition. Doctor's dissertation. Wet meadows in Sweden currently depend on management by grazing to maintain habitats for various breeding and migrating birds. However, due to ceased cattle farming management by mowing could be an option for restoration and conservatio...

The simulation of the productivity and stability of grazing systems requires to relate herbage consumption, vegetation state and sward growth by functional relationships (Hodgson and Illius,1996). Sward growth is frequently simulated from light intercepted by leaf area and photosynthesis or light use efficiency (Johnson and Parsons, 1985; Hutching and Gordon, 2001). Some recent approaches on gr...

The main objective of this study was to determine to what extent grazing pressure and timing modulate the seasonal progression of herbage quality in hilly Mediterranean grassland systems. The study was conducted during six consecutive years between 2003 and 2008 at the Karei Deshe experimental farm, in eastern Galilee, Israel, dominated by rich hemicryptophytic grassland. Treatments included tw...

Seedling establishment is a critical phase in pasture management. Knowledge of the seedling development of new forages is necessary to develop management practices and recommend species mixtures for pasture seedings. We compared seedling growth and development of prairiegrass (Bromus willdenowii Kunth = B. catharticus Vahl), grazing bromegrass (B. stamineus Desv.), and orchardgrass (Dactylis gl...