Grazing systems and biodiversity in Mediterranean areas: Spain, Italy and Greece

Parente, G.

doi:10.1111/j.1365-2494.2011.00820.x

Cited by 9 publications

(13 citation statements)

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“…The distribution of dehesas coincides exactly with that of pigrearing pastures in our study (Fig. 1b), even though cattle also graze on dehesas [69]. The crop land scenario showed extensive surface devoted to arable land, mainly for herbaceous crops such as barley and wheat, and to a lesser extent for woody crops, mainly olive, vineyards and fruit trees.…”

Section: Crop Land and Pasture Scenarios And Subscenariossupporting

confidence: 83%

Identification of sentinel plant species for evaluating phytotoxicity of veterinary antibiotics in Mediterranean Europe

García¹,

Fernández

Rodrı́guez³

et al. 2022

Environ Sci Eur

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Background Antibiotics used to treat livestock species enter agricultural fields when they are excreted by grazing animals or are present in manure that is added to fields as fertiliser. In the European Union, the potential effects of such antibiotics on terrestrial plants must be evaluated following the standardised OECD 208 method, which specifies the crop and wild species that should serve as “sentinels” for assessing antibiotic exposure. The present study aimed to compare this approved list of sentinel species against crop and wild plant species actually present in agricultural and pasture lands in Mediterranean Europe in order to identify the most appropriate sentinel plants for the region. The study focused on Spain as a region representative of Mediterranean Europe. Georeferenced layers for wild plant species and cultivated areas (crops), livestock density and land cover were combined, and then selection criteria were applied, leading to the identification of sentinel crop and wild species for crop land and pasture scenarios. Results In the crop land scenario, the sentinel crop species were barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), wheat (Triticum spp.), corn (Zea mays L), sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.), dried pea (Pisum sativum L.), alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), vetch (Vicia sativa L.), oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.) and sugar beet (Saccharum officinarum L.), all of them listed in the OECD 208 method with the exception of alfalfa; the sentinel wild species were Papaver rhoeas L., Galium aparine L. and Chenopodium album L. In the pasture scenario, sentinel wild species were Bromus tectorum L., Agrostis capillaris L., Trifolium pratense L., Lotus corniculatus L. and Galium aparine L. The following common weed species in field boundaries or in pasture lands also emerged as potential sentinel species for risk assessment, even though they are not listed in the OECD 208 method: Sonchus oleraceus L., Avena sterilis L., Dactylis glomerata L., Hordeum murinum L. and Lolium rigidum Gaudin. Conclusions The sentinel species identified in this study may be useful in risk assessment procedures covering the Mediterranean Europe. The method developed for this study could be applied to identify sentinel species for other representative agroclimatic regions in Europe (such as Atlantic and Continental).

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Section: Crop Land and Pasture Scenarios And Subscenariossupporting

confidence: 83%

Identification of sentinel plant species for evaluating phytotoxicity of veterinary antibiotics in Mediterranean Europe

García¹,

Fernández

Rodrı́guez³

et al. 2022

Environ Sci Eur

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“…The botanical composition of grazing swards may have been at least partially responsible for differences in the milk quality between SI and EX systems. The seminatural vegetation grazed by extensive flocks was species-rich [39] and comprised a mosaic of grasses, legumes, flowers, and shrubs. In contrast, the improved or sown swards grazed in the semi-intensive systems consisted primarily of vegetative growth from cultivated oats.…”

Section: Possible Explanationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sustainable Intensification? Increased Production Diminishes Omega-3 Content of Sheep Milk

et al. 2020

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Intensifying agricultural production alters food composition, but this is often ignored when assessing system sustainability. However, this could compromise consumer health and influence the concept of "sustainable diets". Here, we consider the milk composition of Mediterranean dairy sheep, finding inferior fatty acid (FA) profiles with respect to consumer health as a result of a more intensive system of production. Semi-intensive management produced 57% more milk per ewe, with a 20% lower fat content (but inferior fat composition). The milk had a nutritionally poorer fatty acid (FA) profile, with an 18% lower omega-3 FA concentration (n-3) (19% fewer long-chain n-3s) and a 7% lower monounsaturated FA concentration but a 3% higher saturated FA (9% higher in C14:0) concentration compared to ewes under traditional, extensive management. A redundancy analysis identified close associations between fat composition and animal diets-particularly concentrate supplementation and cultivated pasture grazing-and n-3 was associated with grazing in diverse, native mountain pastures. This paper questions if identifying such key elements in traditional systems could be deployed for "sustainable intensification" to maintain food quality while increasing output.

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“…Since the beginning of the 20th century, socio-economic conditions including the agricultural reform, World War II, the restriction of grazing in mountainous areas, and rural depopulation, resulted in a decrease of transhumance practices [1,11,35]. Nowadays, the "tseligkato" system has become almost extinct and Sarakatsanoi have settled in villages near the summer or winter pastures [28,36].…”

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confidence: 99%

“…Transhumance is replaced by a type of vertical trasteminance. Grazing period in summer pastures has shrunk to approximately four months and most shepherds feed their animals with small quantities of grain during the whole summer [11].…”

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Landscape Pattern Changes in Response to Transhumance Abandonment on Mountain Vermio (North Greece)

et al. 2015

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Transhumance, the seasonal movement of herds between highlands and lowlands following precise, repeated routes, is a common practice in many Mediterranean regions. This livestock movement exploits natural vegetation in both winter and summer pastures. In Greece transhumant herders, drawn by relatively abundant vegetation, usually relocate to mountainous areas between April and October. Mount Vermio was an ideal summer pasture for the nomadic, ethnic group Sarakatsanoi of Thessaly, who used to own big herds. Socio-economic conditions of the 20th century led to the gradual decline of transhumance, resulting in reduction in grazing pressure and changes in vegetation dynamics. The purpose of this study was to monitor changes in landscape patterns in response to transhumance abandonment. Landscape metrics were employed to estimate land use/cover in two altitudinal zones. Results reveal that due to the abandonment of transhumance in the highlands landscape fragmentation increased. Meanwhile, in the lowlands, due to the uninterrupted presence of animals, landscape structure is more stable and diversified. Grasslands and agroforestry systems became smaller and more isolated. In OPEN ACCESSSustainability 2015, 7 15653 conclusion, the abandonment of transhumance led to the overall deterioration of the rural landscape in the highlands.

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Grazing systems and biodiversity in Mediterranean areas: Spain, Italy and Greece

Cited by 9 publications

References 0 publications

Identification of sentinel plant species for evaluating phytotoxicity of veterinary antibiotics in Mediterranean Europe

Identification of sentinel plant species for evaluating phytotoxicity of veterinary antibiotics in Mediterranean Europe

Sustainable Intensification? Increased Production Diminishes Omega-3 Content of Sheep Milk

Landscape Pattern Changes in Response to Transhumance Abandonment on Mountain Vermio (North Greece)

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