Effects of Grazing and Browsing on Tropical Savanna Vegetation

Langevelde, Frank van; Vijver, C.A.D.M. van de; Prins, Herbert H. T.; Groen, T.A.

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-25865-8_10

Cited by 3 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 82 publications

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“…In many areas the wild species that used to graze and browse the landscape are long extinct [38][39][40]; even when places have been put aside for wildlife, populations of wild native species take a long time to respond, by which time ecosystems may have been tipped into a new, degraded stable state, for example, dominated by fire, shrubs, or weeds [41]. "Herbivory" can be achieved through other means, most of which, for example, controlled burning or slashing, are labour intensive, have limited selectivity at the scale effected by herbivory, and are impractical to apply over large areas.…”

Section: Herbivory Is a Key Part Of Rewilded Systemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rewilding Lite: Using Traditional Domestic Livestock to Achieve Rewilding Outcomes

2021

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The vision of rewilding is to return ecosystems to a “natural” or “self-willed” state with trophic complexity, dispersal (and connectivity) and stochastic disturbance in place. The concept is gaining traction, particularly in Europe where significant land abandonment has taken place in recent years. However, in reality, the purest form of rewilding (Rewilding Max) is constrained by a number of context-specific factors whereby it may not be possible to restore the native species that form part of the trophic structure of the ecosystem if they are extinct (for example, mammoths, Mammuthus spp., aurochs, Bos taurus primigenius). In addition, populations/communities of native herbivores/predators may not be able to survive or be acceptable to the public in small scale rewilding projects close to areas of high human density or agricultural land. Therefore, the restoration of natural trophic complexity and disturbance regimes within rewilding projects requires careful consideration if the broader conservation needs of society are to be met. Here we highlight the importance of herbivory as a key factor in rewilding. We argue that the use of the suite of livestock species, and in particular traditional breeds, offers the opportunity, under both land sharing/sparing strategies, to reinstate a more “natural” form of herbivory but still retain the option for management interventions (Rewilding Lite). It will even be possible to gain economic returns (ecotourism, sale of livestock products) from these systems, which will make them more acceptable to state and private landowners. We develop our case based on the advantages of using landraces versus de-domestication strategies, and on the implementation of eco-shepherding herbivory as a restoration tool in fine mosaics of agriculture/natural patches. If this approach is adopted, then larger areas can be given over to conservation, because of the potential broader benefits to society from these spaces and the engagement of farmers in practices that are closer to their traditions.

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Section: Herbivory Is a Key Part Of Rewilded Systemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rewilding Lite: Using Traditional Domestic Livestock to Achieve Rewilding Outcomes

2021

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“…Typical disturbances are, for instance, those created by large herbivores through their foraging, defecation and trampling (Navarro et al, 2015;Ripple et al, 2015). Fire regimes are also critical disturbances for the creation and maintenance of ecosystems (Bowman et al, 2009), and these are directly influenced by the grazing and browsing pressure (van Langevelde et al, 2019). One of the most pervasive effect of human activities in a landscape, in addition to land-use change, is the alteration of the natural disturbance regimes: natural fires are suppressed (Archibald et al, 2013), and the stochastic disturbance by wild herbivores is replaced by long term deterministic disturbance by livestock and agronomic fertiliser application (Navarro et al, 2015;Perino et al, 2019).…”

Section: Stochastic Disturbance Regimesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Domestic Livestock and Rewilding: Are They Mutually Exclusive?

Gordon

Manning

Navarro

et al. 2021

Front. Sustain. Food Syst.

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Human influence extends across the globe, from the tallest mountains to the deep bottom of the oceans. There is a growing call for nature to be protected from the negative impacts of human activity (particularly intensive agriculture); so-called “land sparing”. A relatively new approach is “rewilding”, defined as the restoration of self-sustaining and complex ecosystems, with interlinked ecological processes that promote and support one another while minimising or gradually reducing human intervention. The key theoretical basis of rewilding is to return ecosystems to a “natural” or “self-willed” state with trophic complexity, dispersal (and connectivity) and stochastic disturbance in place. However, this is constrained by context-specific factors whereby it may not be possible to restore the native species that formed part of the trophic structure of the ecosystem if they are extinct (e.g., mammoths, Mammuthus spp., aurochs, Bos primigenius); and, populations/communities of native herbivores/predators may not be able to survive or be acceptable to the public in small scale rewilding projects close to areas of high human density. Therefore, the restoration of natural trophic complexity and disturbance regimes within rewilding projects requires careful consideration if the broader conservation needs of society are to be met. In some circumstances, managers will require a more flexible deliberate approach to intervening in rewilding projects using the range of tools in their toolbox (e.g., controlled burning regimes; using domestic livestock to replicate the impacts of extinct herbivore species), even if this is only in the early stages of the rewilding process. If this approach is adopted, then larger areas can be given over to conservation, because of the potential broader benefits to society from these spaces and the engagement of farmers in practises that are closer to their traditions. We provide examples, primarily European, where domestic and semi-domestic livestock are used by managers as part of their rewilding toolbox. Here managers have looked at the broader phenotype of livestock species as to their suitability in different rewilding systems. We assess whether there are ways of using livestock in these systems for conservation, economic (e.g., branded or certified livestock products) and cultural gains.

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A Model of Seasonal Savanna Dynamics

Klimasara

Tyran‐Kamińska

2023

SIAM J. Appl. Math.

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Effects of Grazing and Browsing on Tropical Savanna Vegetation

Cited by 3 publications

References 82 publications

Rewilding Lite: Using Traditional Domestic Livestock to Achieve Rewilding Outcomes

Rewilding Lite: Using Traditional Domestic Livestock to Achieve Rewilding Outcomes

Domestic Livestock and Rewilding: Are They Mutually Exclusive?

A Model of Seasonal Savanna Dynamics

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