A Preliminary Study on Grazing Pattern of Sheep Transhumance in Turkey

Abstract

Grazing activities of indigenous sheep breed of the Turkish breed Karakaş and Koçeri which were transhumance flocks were investigated in a typical unimproved mountainous pasture in the East of Turkey. Data were collected from two different flocks on main daily activities (grazing, resting, moving or standing) every fifteen minutes. The characteristics of the pastures around the routes were assessed according to CORINE Land Cover classification system. Standing was a residual activity in both study paths. The animals concentrated their activity mostly on grazing while resting and moving occurred in specific times during the whole grazing period. Once the animals were heading back to their main settlement areas to be milked, grazing activity have been increased. Further studies on grazing behavior and changes in land cover will help to adjust the management strategies to the available natural resources.

The role of slope as an environmental variable in plant biodiversity change in Aegean rangelands by SHE analysis: The case of Çakmar rangeland

“…Mismanagement practices have led to a significant loss of original vegetation in Turkish rangelands (Sürmen & Kara, 2022). Suitable range management changes are recommended to conserve natural resources in highland rangelands (Koç et al, 2020).. Rangelands, covering 22.9 million hectares in Türkiye, historically support livestock production through seasonal grazing (Yetişgin & Aydemir, 2019). These rangelands are vital for animal husbandry in the eastern Anatolia region due to the challenging topography and short growing season (Koç et al, 2021).…”